Richard Moore is the former Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, widely known as MI6, and one of the UK’s most respected voices on international security, geopolitics and leadership. Serving as Britain’s top intelligence chief from 2020 to 2025, he led the organisation through an era defined by war in Europe and the Middle East, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and unprecedented technological change. His tenure reshaped how modern intelligence engages with the public, while safeguarding national and global security.
Richard began his career in intelligence in 1987, recruited as an MI6 officer after studying Politics and Economics at Oxford. His early postings spanned some of the world’s most strategically sensitive regions, including Vietnam, Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia, as well as London-based roles covering Iran. These formative years built the foundations of a career that combined deep regional expertise with a nuanced understanding of diplomacy, intelligence gathering and international power dynamics.
Beyond intelligence operations, Richard held several of the UK’s most senior diplomatic and policy roles. He served as British Ambassador to Turkey, later becoming the UK Deputy National Security Adviser and Political Director at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where he led strategic policy development and played a central role in Iran nuclear negotiations. As Chief of MI6, he worked closely with international counterparts, including the CIA Director, reinforcing the importance of the London–Washington alliance to Western security. He also became the first MI6 chief to give live television and radio interviews and to use social media to share the service's values, bringing greater transparency and public understanding to the intelligence world.
As a speaker, Richard draws on four decades of intelligence and diplomatic experience to deliver rare insights from the secret world. Known for his wit, warmth and uniquely human perspective, he explores leadership under pressure, decision-making in uncertainty, technology and geopolitics in ways that resonate far beyond government. Audiences leave informed, engaged and better equipped to understand the forces shaping global affairs and modern leadership.
