LEADERSHIP TEAM

Lord Westbury MBE

Chairman

Hart was founded in 1999 by Lord Westbury, a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE), following a distinguished military career. Educated at Harrow School and Sandhurst Royal Military Academy, Richard was commissioned into the Scots Guards in 1970 and subsequently joined the SAS in 1975. He served four operational tours, was decorated for bravery in 1978 and appointed MBE in 1979. During his time in the SAS he worked on every continent, being intimately involved in many international incidents during the 1980s.

From 1988 to 1991 he served as Deputy Chief Executive of The Leadership Trust, an executive training centre providing leadership and management training for over 2,500 chief executive officers and other key executives each year.

In 1991, Richard was invited to join Defence Systems Ltd., a company providing security services mainly in Africa. He became a director and Deputy Chief Executive in 1993 and Chief Executive Officer in 1995. During this time, the client base was increased from eight to over 200 multinational companies and supra-national agencies. In 1996, Richard and the Chairman of Defence Systems led a successful management buyout from Hambro Group Investments with the support of NatWest Ventures and DLJ Phoenix and merged with a U.S. public company.

He left Defence Systems in 1998 and in 1999 formed Hart, providing specialized security services on a global basis across land, sea and air. Hart soon became the founding company of the Hart Group, of which Richard is Chairman..

Today, it is known as the Chelsea Group and employs over 8,000 personnel with offices in Limassol, London, Dubai, Washington DC, New York, Sydney, Mogadishu, Kabul, Shanghai and Bogota. The offerings of the group include specialized managed services, power generation, aviation security, strategic consultancy, construction, portable housing, camp management, water purification, leadership training and software development.

In August 2006, Hart became a principal partner in Symbion Power LLC and Richard the Chairman. Symbion Power LLC is an engineering, procurement and construction company specializing in complex electrical infrastructure power projects.

Richard is a Vice President of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) and an Officer in the Order of St John.

 

James Houghton

Chief Operating Officer

James Houghton is a former British Army officer who served as an infantry (the Black Watch). His last appointment was in SHAPE working on the integration of strategic policy between member Nations. James has extensive operational experience in a multitude of countries including Sierra Leone, Iraq and the Balkans.

He left the army in 2004 and entered into the commercial security world. He has since been supporting clients working in the Development, Oil & Gas, Defence and Government sectors.

Joining the Hart team in 2015, his previous roles included supporting clients on USAID and DFID funded projects in Africa. James has a BA (Hons) in Politics and Social Sciences and is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

When not working he enjoys spending time with his family in Dubai, coaching a children’s rugby team and when there is an opportunity, he is an enthusiastic golfer.

Graham Kerr, OBE

Chief Administrative Officer

Graham was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1969 having spent two years at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He enjoyed a full career retiring in 2004 as a Brigadier.  The highlights were: serving as a Troop and Squadron Commander with 22 SAS; having the privilege of commanding 29 Commando Regiment RA (his first Regiment as a junior officer); some demanding staff appointments at every level; and gaining wide ranging operational experience in the Middle East, Northern Ireland and the Balkans. His final tour was for thee years as Commander of the British Military Mission in Kuwait, which reinforced his level of experience of operating in the Middle East.

Having attended a variety of staff training courses (Staff College, Higher Command and Staff Course and the Royal College of Defence Studies), as well as obtaining a MBA, he is equipped to deal with tactical, operational and strategic level issues.

Since leaving the Army, Graham has worked for Hart Security; firstly, as the Regional Managing Director (Middle East) based in Kuwait once more. His main responsibilities revolved around overseeing business operations in Iraq; setting up operations in Afghanistan; and business development within the Region.

In early 2006 he was moved to Cyprus to take over as the Chief Operations Officer for the Company. From mid-2007 he was focused predominantly upon Iraq but was also involved in several other areas such as Due Diligence, Congressional Enquiries and joint ventures.

In October 2008 Graham was appointed Chief Administrative Officer and has been involved with the initiatives to regulate the security industry such as the Montreux document, the development of the International Code of Conduct and its follow-on work. As a corollary he has been instrumental in introducing a series of management systems within the Company and gaining certifications to international standards.