Michael Barron Email & Phone Number

Reading, United Kingdom

Michael Barron Consulting Ltd (MBC), founded in 2014, delivers technical assistance and research to strengthen transparency and governance. MBC has developed a particular expertise on beneficial ownership transparency (BOT). MBC has delivered BOT projects on four continents, including supporting the design and implementation of the first public beneficial ownership register in Africa, in Ghana. MBC has also delivered BOT projects in Azerbaijan, China, Ethiopia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Kingdom. It has also undertaken extensive research on the private sector use case of beneficial ownership information. MBC’s principal acts as a consultant to the EU Global Facility on AML/CFT and for the Council of Europe. He has also acted as an expert witness for the Cullen Commission of enquiry in British Colombia, Canada. MBC’s principal is also one of the co-founders of the BO6 framework for designing and implementing beneficial ownership registers (see: www.bo6.global).MBC has also developed considerable expertise in implementing the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). MBC’s principal is a member of the team acting as Independent Administrator (IA) for Trinidad and Tobago. The country’s 2019/20 report resulted in EITI lifting Trinidad’s suspension and the country receiving a High rating. He has also acted in a similar role to produce three annual EITI reports in Nigeria. MBC has also delivered EITI projects on contract transparency (including a regional study for Latin America and the Caribbean), commodity trading, state-owned enterprises and environmental reporting. MBC has delivered EITI projects in Albania, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Papua New Guinea and Zambia.

London, United Kingdom

Delivered geopolitical and political risk advisory services to clients including major natural resource companies and financial institutions.Completed projects on unconventional hydrocarbon policy and regulation, analysis of political risk facing downstream energy projects in three south east Asian countries.

• Developed BG’s position on revenue transparency, including engagement with government, civil society and industry; ensuring internal alignment, advising senior management and made recommendations on management of revenue transparency issue across all BG Group countries;• Led advocacy concerning European legislation and managed BG support for EITI;• Led small team providing political risk mitigation in support of delivering operations and projects in BG Group assets in the Middle East and South East Asia;• Delivered strategic government relations and political risk mitigation in support of asset management teams in Egypt and Tunisia;

• Provided leadership on political risk mitigation and government relations, including engagement with governments of the Palestinian Authority, Israel, UK and USA as well as multinational institutions at senior level;• Created and delivered government relations strategy and action plan in politically complex environment to mitigate political risks to project.

• Member of management team with responsibility for government relations and external relations for GCC states and Yemen;• Contributed to country entry and establishment of new office through government relations strategy and actions plans to support delivery of business objectives, including stakeholder engagement, community relations, external communications and corporate responsibility;• Managed staging of inaugural BG Energy Challenge – Oman and other profile-raising events

• Provided leadership on political risk mitigation and government relations, including engagement with governments of the Palestinian Authority, Israel, UK and USA as well as multinational institutions at senior level;• Created and delivered government relations strategy and action plan in politically complex environment to mitigate political risks to project.

• Managed asset’s external affairs team;• Led industry wide study into subsidies in the Egyptian energy sector and delivery of recommendations to the government;• Managed staging of inaugural BG Energy Challenge – Egypt and other profile-raising events.

• Researched and wrote 20 in-depth country reports for Dun & Bradstreet, including political risk, short and long-term economic analysis and business environment;• Conducting confidential due diligence investigations into companies and individuals for specialist consultancies;• Author of business travel guide on Turkey, published June 2001;• Wrote ‘The Egyptian Oil and Gas Report’ for SMi Publications;• Wrote reports and articles on Middle Eastern topics for business audiences, for clients including Jane’s, Business Monitor, EIU and DTI.

• Production of bespoke political risk analysis reports for government and business clients;• Presentations to clients and conferences, including Iran and Gulf conferences organised by the Royal Institute for International Affairs (RIIA– Chatham House);• Press and media interviews including CNN, BBC World, BBC Radio, ITN, Sky, CNBC, Independent, The Times.

Ma, Arabic

Education record

Education record