Graeme Lamb

A three-star general, he is the former Director of the United Kingdom’s Special Forces (UKSF) the UK, albeit smaller equivalent of the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). His operational experience is truly global having been deployed, or in direct support of those deployments, to virtually all the UK’s major conflicts since 1973. His close working relationship with the US has broadened that experience, GEN Stan McChrystal’s assessment, “I knew of no one else who possessed both the agile, pragmatic mind, and the unmistakable presence but if anyone were to make it work, Graeme was the one of a handful in either American or British militaries that could.”

Considered to be “a particularly aggressive general” with a reputation for “toughness and blasphemous plain speaking” General Lamb is widely recognised for his intimate appreciation for Hobbes’s view of man as “reconcilable and irreconcilable” actors in modern conflict.

Thirty Eight Years of Service. The son of a WWII veteran, Lamb graduated from The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1973. He went on to command extensively on operations Conventional, Airborne, and Special Forces throughout his career. He completed his service as The Commander of the British Field Army – responsible for all those forces committed to operations.

Working With Others. Lamb has by dint of his appointments found himself not only operating overseas but nearly always with and alongside others, in particular the Untied States Special Forces. This ranged from small-scale counter-narcotics operations in South America, Persons Indicted for War Crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina to Deputy Commanding General Multi-National Forces Iraq under US Generals Cassey and Petraeus.

Working for Himself. A Trustee of Walking with The Wounded (WWTW) a UK based charity that supports disabled servicemen and women and Colonel Commandant of the Special Air Service are Lamb’s two unpaid commitments. He operates as a limited company and is a Senior Fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. He is also a Special Adviser to the Good Governance Group, Chairperson of the Advisory Council to C5 investments, a Non-Executive Director with AEGIS Private Security and enthusiastic supporter of Palantir Technologies. Lamb also undertakes work for Her Majesty’s Government in the Middle East.

Operational Strategy Lessons. A no-nonsense and engaging speaker with the ability to bring to life complex issues, involve those who listen and visualize the outcomes. His views on leaders and leadership are fresh and insightful, humble, and inclusive. While his reflections on people, purpose, and pay re-prioritize our thinking.

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