Our Team

Dr Chris Needham-Bennett

Dr Chris Needham-Bennett founded Needhams 1834 in 1996 and has since led complex continuity, crisis and resilience initiatives across the UK and overseas, with a particular focus on board-level training and strategic executive exercises. He has a particular interest and expertise in designing resilience strategies for Higher Education and Universities. He is currently specialising in the pharmaceuticals and financial sectors in Europe.

Academic credentials

Chris holds a Doctorate in Security and Risk Management (University of Portsmouth) and an MSc in Risk Psychology (University of Leicester, 1996). He is an ISO 22301 Lead Auditor and a Member of the Business Continuity Institute (MBCI).

Awards and recognition

Chris was BCI Global and European Continuity & Resilience Consultant of the Year (2015)— a rare double recognition of his contribution to the discipline and client outcomes.

Background

Prior to consultancy, Chris served 10 years as a commissioned officer in the Parachute Regiment, later working on PFI security projects with the Home Office. This mix of operational command, policy exposure and academic rigour underpins Needhams’ director-led approach to practical resilience.

Speaking and facilitation

A frequent conference chair and debater (Resilience First, BCI London Forums, TBM Resilience, CSARN), Chris is known for innovative, engaging sessions that translate research and standards into executive-level decisions and behaviours.

Teaching & thought leadership

He is a Visiting Professor at University College London and has delivered lectures on resilience at Cranfield and Portsmouth Universities. His publication record spans journals and industry outlets, including Progress in Disaster Science (Elsevier), Corporate Insurance & Risk, Crisis Response and CAPCO Journal, alongside practitioner pieces for Continuity Central, the BCI and others.

In 2025, Chris authored the United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction, (Geneva) Resilience Maturity Model.

Selected publications include:

A Challenge to Orthodoxy (in respect of risk assessments) Crisis Response Journal June 2025
The enigma of High Impact Low Probability (HILP) events. Corporate Insurance and Risk Magazine, due publication in Q3 2024
The more things change the more they remain the same. A review of two decades of business continuity. Crisis Response Journal 19:2 - June 2024
Social unrest as a cascading effect of Covid-19… (Progress in Disaster Science, 2022).
Operational Resilience and Stress Testing; Hit or Myth (CAPCO Journal, 2021).
Multiple articles and guides for practitioners (e.g., Law Society’s Lexcel toolkit review; Continuity Magazine series).

See Resilience Insights for selected articles

Andrew MacLeod

Andrew MacLeod MSc MBCI has over two decades of experience in business-continuity management, crisis-management leadership and resilience training, including earlier service as an Army officer. His work spans the design, audit and delivery of continuity frameworks for clients across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. Before joining Needhams 1834 he led major resilience programmes for Canary Wharf Group, including the London 2012 Olympics continuity initiative, coordinating multi-agency and corporate partners.

At Needhams 1834 he has directed complex continuity and resilience projects for financial services, legal and public-sector clients, supporting more than ten organisations through ISO 22301 certification and subsequent surveillance audits. His meticulous approach combines analytical structure with creative scenario design, producing board-level exercises and leadership workshops that test decision-making and strengthen governance.

Publications and thought leadership

Andrew has published and co-authored multiple papers for the Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning. His published work explores behavioural dynamics in crisis teams, resilience culture and methods for testing organisational maturity. He has presented internationally at BCI World, CSARN and Ark Group conferences, where his sessions focused on the human factors of crisis management, leadership under pressure and the alignment of business-continuity systems with operational performance.

Academic credentials and affiliations

Andrew holds an MSc in Resilience from Cranfield University and a BA (Hons) in History from the University of East Anglia. He is a BSI-certified Lead Auditor for ISO 22301 and BS 25999 and a Member of the Business Continuity Institute (MBCI). His MSc dissertation, which examined communication and organisational culture in crisis response, received the Cranfield Dissertation Prize (2017).

Awards and recognition

His professional awards include BCI Global and European Newcomer of the Year (2013), Cranfield University’s Dissertation Prize (2017) and CIR Business Continuity Adviser of the Year Finalist (2018). These distinctions recognise both his technical excellence and his contribution to advancing professional practice within the field.

Background and approach

Andrew is recognised by clients for his collaborative style, clarity of communication and attention to detail. His work emphasises practical implementation, ensuring that continuity and resilience strategies move beyond compliance to deliver genuine capability. He exemplifies Needhams 1834’s director-led philosophy — combining academic insight, operational understanding and a disciplined focus on outcomes that endure.

Robin Bucknall

Robin Bucknall MA MSc MBCI FCMI delivers director-led consultancy in supply-chain resilience, crisis management, BCMS design, risk mapping and scenario-based exercising. His work helps organisations understand critical dependencies, rehearse decision-making under pressure and strengthen recovery across complex operational networks. He has advised private-equity, insurance, manufacturing, telecommunications, retail and FMCG clients in the UK, the Middle East and Asia.

Credentials

Robin is an ISO 22301 Lead Auditor, a Member of the Business Continuity Institute (MBCI) and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI). He also holds the IoD Certificate in Company Direction. His academic background includes an MA in Defence Studies from King’s College London and an MSc in Risk, Crisis and Disaster Management from the University of Leicester — specialist training that underpins his analytical and operational approach to resilience.

Professional background

Before consultancy, Robin served as a senior Royal Marines officer, including roles as Chief of Staff to an Army Logistics Brigade, UK Advisor to the UAE Navy, and strategic-planning appointments within the Ministry of Defence. He co-directed an international governance and leadership programme with Cranfield University, and in 2020 was seconded to the MoD team supporting the Cabinet Office’s Covid-19 winter-planning exercise.
In 2003 Robin was awarded a Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service and in 2019 a Joint Forces Commander’s Commendation.

Publications & thought leadership

Robin has written on resilience and crisis leadership for publications including Continuity Central and Facilitate and is a frequent designer and facilitator of multi-agency exercises and leadership training.

Our Leadership Team

Meet Our Leadership Team

Dr Chris Needham-Bennett MBCI

Managing Director

Andrew MacLeod MSc MBCI

Director

Robin Bucknall MA MSc MBCI

Director

Our Heritage

Needhams 1834

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