Decision

Summary of business appointment applications - Air Marshal Sir Christopher Harper

Updated 5 December 2018

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Air Marshal Sir Christopher Harper completed his last day as Director General of the NATO International Military Staff on 27 July 2016. His last day of Crown Service was 27 January 2017.

1. Independent Consultancy

2. Commissions

Air Marshal Sir Christopher Harper sought advice on setting up an independent consultancy and taking up a number of commissions.

CH4C Global Ltd would principally offer geopolitical and strategic consulting services in the international defence and security sector. The company would not provide direct commercial or contracting advice.

When considering this application, the Committee noted that Sir Christopher had spent the last seven years in various NATO-related appointments working in the Netherlands and Belgium and has had no commercial or contractual responsibilities. He had no official dealings or relationships with any of the organisations set out below.

The Committee also took into account the fact that the Countersigning Officer, Commercial Head and MOD panel raised no concerns about the consultancy, subject to conditions on lobbying and advising on bids or contracts relating to the MOD.

The Committee considered that given the connection between the nature of his consultancy and his former NATO roles, it was appropriate for there to be a gap between his last role and setting up an independent consultancy. However, given the time between last day in post and last day of Crown service, the Committee thought it appropriate for the waiting period to run from last day in post.

The Secretary of State accepted the Committee’s recommendation that Sir Christopher’s independent consultancy (and the commissions listed below) be subject to the following conditions:

  • A waiting period of six months from his last day in post;
  • He should not draw on any privileged information available to him from his time in Crown service;
  • For two years from his last day in Crown service, he should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK Government on behalf of any of his clients or those he advises;
  • For 12 months from his last day of service he should not undertake any work as a consultant that involves providing advice to any company or organisation on the terms of a bid or contract relating directly to the work of the MOD or its trading funds;
  • For two years from his last day of service, before accepting any new commission he should apply to the Committee for approval to confirm that it is acceptable under the Committee’s guidelines. In considering the matter on such further reference, the Committee may seek the views of relevant departments. If, after enquiry, the Committee takes the view that a commission is, or may be, outside the terms of the consultancy he will be expected to submit a fresh application).
  • Further, should subsequent elements of any of the commissions that he has described change or expand in such a way that they fall outside the terms of his application, he should return to the Committee for advice on that particular piece of work. The conditions set out above apply to Sir Christopher acting either directly or through his company CH4C Global Limited.

The advice letter was sent in December 2016 and the commissions were taken up as follows:

  • Mentor for Exercise Collective Action, UK Higher Command and Staff Course final exercise, involving a NATO/Baltic defence scenario: 27 March – 5 April 2017.
  • Advisory Board Member, Improbable Worlds Ltd: from 6 February 2017.
  • Senior advisor and mentor for Rescue Global Ltd: from 3 April 2017.
  • Advisor on international relations, contemporary risk-management in the security and defence domain, and capability gap analysis and mitigation with L-3 Communications: from 27 April 2017.
  • Non-Resident Senior Fellow, The Atlantic Council: from 20 February 2017.

Sir Christopher subsequently took up commissions with the following bodies under the terms of his independent consultancy:

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