Andrew MacLeod Keynote Speaker

Professor Andrew MacLeod has extensive experience in multicultural and multi-religious settings. He has faced strategic, large-scale and diverse challenges, successfully resolving them through negotiation and leadership. He is a leading thinker in ‘Shared Value’ understanding risks and opportunities that exist between communities and corporations particularly in fragile states. Andrew’s focus is on the interface between government, corporations and communities, and exploring innovative ways to create new and improved profitability, which benefits both businesses and the communities in which they operate.

Andrew has led or served in multinational humanitarian teams in conflict and natural disaster settings as diverse as Rwanda, Pakistan and Bosnia, negotiating with the varied religious and cultural stakeholders. Additionally he has led business engagement with commercial, political and community stakeholders in economies including Mongolia, Peru and Australia.

Professor MacLeod is a visiting Professor at King’s College London and an Affiliate Senior Associate to the Center for Strategic International Studies in Washington DC. In the business world he is a Non-Executive Director of New York-based Cornerstone Capital, a Senior Adviser to Homestrings plc in London, Chair of the Advisory Board at Gravitas Capital and Non-Executive Chairman at Griffin Law. Previously Andrew has held the position of GM Community, Communications and External Relations for Rio Tinto (Copper).

When at the UN MacLeod’s work included Chief of Operations for the 2005 South Asian Earthquake relief and reconstruction operation, spending two years between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. MacLeod ensured smooth integration between foreign aid operations in areas under Pakistan military and non-military control including the negotiations with military and non-state armed groups.

For the International Committee of the Red Cross MacLeod undertook similar roles in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s. He has applied his learning in these contexts as part of the King’s College Humanitarian Futures project and the World Economic Forum’s Future of Civil Society project.