Keith Beaven

Biography

Keith served in the Foreign Office from 1983 until 2016, focusing on counter-terrorism from 2007 onward. He was Director Counter Terrorism from 2012-2016, sitting on the CONTEST board and managing overseas CT effort during a period of intense challenge in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.  Prior to this he had postings in Mexico, Pretoria and Oslo, and worked in London on Africa, Counter-Proliferation and policy for the Intelligence Services Act among other issues. 

Research interests and areas of expertise

• Organising effective effort against terrorism and violent extremism.
• The complexities of international efforts to cooperate against terrorism, including human rights aspects.
• Security Sector change and reform, particularly in response to or in the aftermath of conflict.
• Management of security risk, both in a crisis and longer term.
• What stops terrorists being more successful?