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AKE Team at Offshore Europe
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 ANDREW KAIN - Chief Executive Officer
Following service in the 2nd Bn Parachute Regiment, Andrew joined the Special Air Service Regiment in 1979. His active service experience includes taking part in the classic Special Forces Raid on Pebble Island during the Falklands campaign. As an Instructor in the SAS, he worked with other Government and International Law Enforcement Agencies and developed specialist techniques still in use today.
Andrew formed AKE Ltd in 1991 as a specialist risk mitigation company, which has today become an international market leader, with offices around the world, including in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as intelligence and insurance arms. He designed and delivered the first commercial safety course to prepare journalists for operating in war zones in 1993. This type of training has now become mandatory for most major media and the AKE course still sets the standard and is internationally recognised. In 1997 Andrew established a link with underwriters in the Lloyd's insurance market to demonstrate the value and benefits derived from mitigation training; since then the links with insurers have become much stronger and the benefits of training much clearer and firmly established. Andrew has also pioneered new relationships with underwriters in the delivery of intelligence and has established AKE's reputation within the Lloyd's Market.
Andrew with AKE has, since the mid '90s, been involved in successfully enabling clients to operate more effectively in hostile environments. He has also pioneered new approaches to the successful management and resolution of crises such as kidnapping; Andrew has led AKE in its support to clients and in the successful resolution of a number of high-profile crisis situations. AKE, in co-operation with GAC, is currently providing and further developing services for maritime clients in countering piracy.
He was Governor and later Chairman of a small preparatory school from 1993 to 2004.
He is author of the SAS Security Handbook, a regular contributor to international forums on issues of safety in hostile environments, a Fellow of RSA and President of the Mull Highland Games. Andrew was also awarded a Testimonial on Parchment from the Royal Humane Society for saving life in 1981. |
 RICHARD MITCHELSON - Executive Director
Richard has a strong interest in security risk management concepts and engineering complete risk mitigation plans to fit any type or scale of project.
Following a successful career in the New Zealand Army, where he served from 1989 to 1998, he entered the commercial security industry. From early 1998 to mid 1999, Richard worked in South-West Africa providing Oil company security. In mid 1999 he obtained a posting with UNDPKO in security and risk management with the United Nations mission to East Timor, staying with the UN for two further missions in West Africa and East Africa before resigning in late 2001. Richard moved back to the Oil sector providing security with a seismic exploration team in North-East Africa. In 2003, Richard started with AKE working with media operations in the Middle East and has since set up business for AKE in Singapore where he also directs our partner company for the South-East Asia region.
Richard has a preference for a practical field-based approach, with focus on execution of operations, and enjoys working on challenging tasks in frontier regions. |
 BEN QUIRK - Business Support Director
After leaving Art College with a National Diploma in Visual Communications, Ben took up a role as Graphic Artist for a number of local newspapers within the Reed International Group. After spending the next four years within the newspaper industry, he diversified his talents and helped to set-up the ‘New Media' department within the Newsquest Media Group (A Gannet Company). This move from traditional print to online design was instrumental in gaining a better understanding of commercial design and IT infrastructure and systems.
After working part-time on a freelance basis for AKE over a five-year period, Ben finally took a full-time position as the Graphic Designer and Web Developer in July 1999. Over the past twelve years Ben has climbed the career ladder within AKE and took up his current position as Business Support Director in April 2009. Now responsible for the group's corporate identity, branding, IT and communications, as well as facility management, the role is as diverse as it is satisfying. |
 GILL GOWER - Crisis Response Centre
Gill is a professional and highly motivated systems practitioner, with 16 years' business experience in commercial operations management. She has a proven history in investigating and translating complex business processes and developing new operating structures and mergers to improve profitability and efficiency. She is extremely competent on working alone or as an integral team member, offering a methodical and innovative approach to complex issues.
Gill's career history started in the automotive industry in 1994 and with her entrepreneurial approach she soon set up her own business opportunity in Hong Kong, where she operated a very successful retail operation. On return to the UK in 2005, Gill diversified into operational postings, which required strong management and leadership roles, to which she has excelled. Gill's academic background and practical experience is a combination for success.
Gill has been employed by AKE since 2008, and steadily evolved the Crisis Response Centre into a streamlined operational department, supporting leading international media corporations and energy sector clients, providing contractual obligations through both technical and conventional solutions. |
 JOHN DRAKE - Senior Risk Consultant
John Drake is a Senior Risk Consultant and Iraq Specialist from AKE's Intelligence Department.
John rotates between AKE's offices in Aberdeen, Baghdad and London, analysing risks and advising clients on doing business safely. Originally from the Isle of Mull, John graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a BSc (Hons) in Politics before working in journalism and jungle conservation in Sri Lanka.
He joined AKE in 2006 as part of the Middle East Desk and has been advising clients in the energy, insurance, shipping and media sectors ever since.
John is currently the security blogger on investment website Iraq Business News (www.iraq-businessnews.com), and writes regular articles for a variety of publications, such as Lloyd's List Magazine, Energy Global and Aberdeen's own Press and Journal. |
 ALAN FRASER - Intelligence Analyst
Alan Fraser is a Middle East and North Africa specialist from the AKE intelligence department in London. A graduate from the University of Aberdeen he spent time living and working in Cairo and Damascus before joining the AKE Middle East desk. Alan advises AKE clients in the insurance, energy and media sectors on the various security and political risks currently affecting the Middle East, and has been particularly busy amid the onset of the ‘Arab Spring'. Alan produces a weekly report on the situation in Libya and will be speaking at the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce about lessons learnt from the Libyan crisis on 8 September. |
 RORY LAMROCK - Intelligence Analyst
Rory Lamrock is an Intelligence Analyst covering political and security risks in East Africa, specialising in maritime security. Originally from Sutherland, Rory graduated with a 1st Class law degree, and a masters in International Security from St Andrews University. He has experience analysing political and security risks affecting the energy sector, and has recently returned from East Africa where he worked on piracy and maritime security issues for the United Nations and the European Union. Rory is based between AKE's Aberdeen and London offices. |
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