Region:
UK and International
Education:
BSc in Physics
Graham joined Inspirational Group in January 2026, bringing with him a wealth of leadership and business development experience built across multiple sectors and geographies. This is his fourth career chapter, each one adding a new dimension to how he thinks about leadership, growth and performance.
He began his career as a Warfare Officer in the Royal Navy, serving as a Gunnery and Boarding Officer and later conducting boarding operations. Those early years were formative, shaping his understanding of leadership under pressure, accountability and teamwork in complex environments.
After leaving the Navy in 2002, Graham moved into business development roles with Northrop Grumman’s Electronic Systems division in the UK. There, he supported growth across a range of sectors including oil and gas, shipping and industrial markets in the UK, Norway, Scotland and Iceland. In 2004, he joined HSBC UK as a Relationship Manager in Corporate Banking, marking the beginning of a long and varied financial services career.
Over the next two decades, Graham held increasingly senior leadership roles at HSBC across New Zealand, Hong Kong, the UAE, Brunei and the Philippines. His work focused on driving growth, transformation and performance at scale, including executive and regional leadership roles across Asia and the Middle East. He went on to serve as CEO of HSBC in Brunei and later as CEO of HSBC Philippines, overseeing both onshore and offshore operations.
Following his time at HSBC, Graham became CEO of Al Masraf, a UAE Government bank. His role centred on leading growth and transformation in a complex legacy environment, spanning technology, credit, people and risk. He describes this period as some of the most challenging and rewarding work of his career, given the scale of change and impact involved.
After leaving Al Masraf in 2023, Graham took a career break, during which he renovated two properties and developed new practical skills. He trained in plastering and bricklaying, an experience he found unexpectedly aligned with his professional mindset. For Graham, it reinforced the value of preparation, discipline and attention to detail.
At IG, Graham’s focus is on supporting and driving business growth across Inspirational Development. He thrives on working directly with clients, understanding their ambitions and helping them develop leadership capability that supports sustainable success. He is motivated by organisations with a strong sense of purpose and is proud of the role IG plays in helping leaders harness that.
Outside of work, Graham lives in the Cotswolds with his family. He enjoys spending time outdoors, walking the dog, seeing friends and, when the mood strikes, continuing his hands-on building projects. He is inspired by people who graft, take risks and succeed, and lives by a principle he has used throughout his career:
Plan, adapt and overcome.
Graham values IG for the impact it makes and the meaning behind the work. For him, helping leaders unlock purpose and performance is not just rewarding, it is what great organisations are built on.
