Summary
Overview
Work history
Education
Skills
Custom
Timeline
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Gary Barrow

Kyiv

Summary

Accomplished professional with extensive expertise in large-scale programmatic and project leadership, complemented by Prince2 and PMP certifications. Demonstrates proficiency in complex stakeholder management, strategic communications, and values-based leadership. Adept at crisis and risk management, emergency scenario-based planning, and security operations, including document security protocols and physical security management. Skilled in training design and delivery, public diplomacy, information operations, and network development. Career goals include leveraging strategic communication skills to enhance organisational resilience and drive impactful programme outcomes.

Overview

10
10
years of professional experience

Work history

Programme Manager

Centre for Information Resilience (CIR)
Kyiv
04.2024 - 04.2025
  • Leading portfolio of projects, in collaboration with defence and security partners, to assist Ukraine in developing resilience against hostile state threats.
  • Coordinating with security partners, including UA-SOF and CIMIC to design frameworks supporting rapid needs/gaps assessments of frontline areas using NATO standard doctrine and incorporating innovative uses of technology and OSINT.
  • Developing work plans, risk management strategies, and result frameworks for complex and politically sensitive projects; and ensuring effective management of activity-based budgets.

Project Director

Freelance
London/Kyiv/Istanbul/Various
05.2023 - 03.2024
  • Design and delivery of CSO delegations to and from Ukraine, preparing delegates to engage on sensitive topics, through identifying commonalities, to enhance international support for Ukraine.
  • Project design and inception planning, oversight of primary and desk-based research to inform core problem diagnosis, design of stakeholder engagement encompassing mapping and communication plans, implementation strategies and exit planning.
  • Reviewed and refined project security and operating risk mitigations, business continuity plans, safety procedures and evacuation planning to ensure security and continuity of projects delivered in highly complex sites in FCAS environments, within specific safeguarding requirements.
  • Served as client liaison across regions, delivering a complex stakeholder management plan across embassies, regional posts, and local delivery partners.

Security & Operations Director

Innovation and Insight (IN2)
Istanbul/Erbil
12.2021 - 05.2023
  • Conducted scenario-based strategic planning to manage risk and security incidents for effective business continuity.
  • Ensured efficient and effective delivery of projects across five highly volatile regions, over 170 expatriate and local staff, including Iraq, Northeast Syria, and Ukraine.
  • Led enterprise-wide operations, which encompass budgeting, asset management, procurement, logistics, and administrative support for expatriates, alongside line management of IT department.
  • Revised procurement processes across company, minimising expenditure and fraud risk, enhancing efficiencies, and ensuring compliance with best business practices and client-aligned frameworks.

Project Manager

Innovation and Insight (IN2)
Baghdad
10.2019 - 11.2021
  • Delivered turn-around strategy for multi-million-dollar digital communications project to build confidence in Government of Iraq (GoI) during political and social unrest.
  • Led operations for 12 international consultants and 40+ local technical delivery staff.
  • Navigated complex cross-government beneficiaries and stakeholders with conflicting and often competing cultural and political interests.
  • Led team in delivering digital communication platforms for Prime Minister's Office and key ministries, directly supporting GoI's emergency response during significant inflection points, including public protests of 2019 and COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Delivered project within agreed budgets, timelines, and standards; achieving profitability targets exceeding forecasts; securing two project extensions ensuring its financial future; and increasing YoY project value.

Project and Security Operations Manager

UK MoD - British Army
Erbil
11.2017 - 10.2019
  • Independently led civil-military coordination between commercial implementers and UK MOD as part of specialist unit, conducting counter-violent extremism (CVE) operations against Daesh in occupied Mosul.
  • Collaborated with partner embassies and consulates in Iraq, Amman, Kuwait, and London on behalf of UK MOD to ensure coordinated and collaborative approach.
  • Operated autonomously and discreetly with local networks to gather insights and develop intelligence to inform strategic decision-making.
  • Rated best Late Entry Officer and selected for early promotion to lead front-line squadron on operations.

Project and Security Operations Manager

UK MoD - British Army
East Africa/Balkans
04.2015 - 11.2017
  • Led specialist short-term training teams (STTTs) deployed across East Africa (Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Kenya) and the Balkans to deliver specialist training in CIMIC, information operations, security management and emergency response.
  • Led teams of technical experts to deliver scenario-based exercises and workshops between local government entities, CSOs and military/security partners in crisis response.
  • Led operational planning, identifying risks, and managing mitigation while championing organisational values and maintaining precise operating standards.

Education

Master of Business Administration (MBA) - Business

Northampton University
04.2019 - 07.2022

Diploma of Higher Education - Strategic Leadership and Management

Stratford Business School
04.2016 - 09.2018

Practitioner - Project Management

PRINCE 2

PMQ - Project Management - APMP Qualified

APM Project Management Qualification

Level 5 Security and Risk Management - Security and Risk Management - N/A

City and Guilds
03.2014 - 06.2016

NVQ Level 5 -

Institute of Crisis Management
06.2018 -

Skills

  • Large-scale programmatic and project leadership
  • Large-scale budget and resource management
  • Emergency scenario-based planning
  • Values-based leadership
  • Complex stakeholder management
  • Programme and project design
  • Crisis and Risk Management
  • Training design and delivery
  • Strategic communications
  • Public diplomacy
  • Information operations
  • Network development
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
  • Prince2 methodology expertise
  • Communication excellence
  • Prince2 certification
  • PMP certified
  • Project Management
  • Security operations
  • Document security protocols
  • Physical security training
  • Physical security management

Custom

Available on Request

Timeline

Programme Manager

Centre for Information Resilience (CIR)
04.2024 - 04.2025

Project Director

Freelance
05.2023 - 03.2024

Security & Operations Director

Innovation and Insight (IN2)
12.2021 - 05.2023

Project Manager

Innovation and Insight (IN2)
10.2019 - 11.2021

Master of Business Administration (MBA) - Business

Northampton University
04.2019 - 07.2022

NVQ Level 5 -

Institute of Crisis Management
06.2018 -

Project and Security Operations Manager

UK MoD - British Army
11.2017 - 10.2019

Diploma of Higher Education - Strategic Leadership and Management

Stratford Business School
04.2016 - 09.2018

Project and Security Operations Manager

UK MoD - British Army
04.2015 - 11.2017

Level 5 Security and Risk Management - Security and Risk Management - N/A

City and Guilds
03.2014 - 06.2016

Practitioner - Project Management

PRINCE 2

PMQ - Project Management - APMP Qualified

APM Project Management Qualification

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