Colin Brown, Senior Vice President, GardaWorld

GardaWorld are the largest privately held security company in the work with over 35,000 people in Africa providing vertically integrated services to the extractives sector.  Colin works with many leading companies in the extractives sector and was formerly the Global Head of Security for the DeBeers Family of Companies, Chief Security Advisor at Rio Tinto Diamonds, Director at Control Risks and the President of Constellis. 

Colin’s commercial career began in 2002 after a distinguished career spanning 12 years in the British Army’s Parachute Regiment.  During 5 years with Control Risks (CR) Colin conducted  a variety of Crisis Management and Security Consultancy projects,  including the development of National, Regional and Global Crisis Management and Incident Response plans. From 2004 to 2007 he was Country Manager and then Director for Control Risks in Iraq. Following this, Colin joined Rio Tinto as Global Head and Chief Advisor Diamonds Security, a position he filled until 2010 when he moved over to the De Beers Family of Companies as Global Head of Security. Most recently, Colin was Senior VP Corporate Development and then President of Constellis in the UAE.

Colin holds a number of degrees namely a Master of Arts in both Defense Technology Management and Defence Studies & International Affairs from Kings College London; a Post Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Business from Cambridge University and a MSc Consulting and Coaching for Change, Leadership and Management of Change from Oxford University and HEC Paris.