Richard was born in South Africa. After completing BA and LLB Degrees in Law, he completed a number of assignments in the legal, consulting, political, diplomatic, hospitality and corporate fields. He moved to the BMW Group South Africa in 1997 where he was appointed as General Manager and Member of the Board for Group Communications and Public Affairs. He held this position for 11 years. He then joined Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in February 2009 and served on the Board of the company for 14 years.Richard, who is a lawyer by profession, held a number of diplomatic positions including postings in Washington and London as well as serving as Presidential Press Secretary during the historic run-up to South Africa's transition to full democracy in 1994. In this capacity he worked closely with then President FW de Klerk and President Nelson Mandela.Richard and his family live in West Sussex in the United Kingdom.Specialties: Strategic thinking and implementation, reputation management, crisis communications, media relations and profile management for notable individuals. Corporate, strategic, personal and product communications and strategic planning in the following areas: luxury goods, political environment, C-Suite and prominent individual support, automotive, hospitality, hotels, and related disciplines.