Over a nearly-30 year career, Michael served the British Government overseas in Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Poland and Pakistan and worked on global issues, the Middle East, proliferation, terrorism and security in London. He was awarded a CMG in 2008 and joined the global geo-political risk analysis group Oxford Analytica as Senior Global Advisor in 2011.

Michael took a First in Jurisprudence at University College, Oxford, qualified at the Bar, gained an MPhil in Modern Middle Eastern Studies at St Antony’s, Oxford, and worked in a commercial law firm in the Gulf.

He was a Visiting Fellow at the Near Eastern Department, Princeton University September-December 2009 and a Consulting Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies for a year from January 2010.