Our people

Maplecroft's growing, international team of 75 multidisciplinary experts includes over 50 research analysts. All researchers hold masters or PhD qualifications from the world's leading academic institutions and each is a specialist in their field. Expertise encompasses regional and sectoral risk analysis, as well as political, economic, social and environmental risk issues, including human rights and climate change. Maplecroft's risk intelligence, including its unique interactive mapping platform, is delivered through innovative technology developed in-house by a large team of software engineers, GIS (Geographic Information Systems) experts, web and graphic designers.

Key personnel

Professor Alyson Warhurst - Chief Executive Officer

Alyson Warhurst is CEO and Founder of risk analysis and mapping company Maplecroft. Over the last 10 years she has built Maplecroft into the leading source of extra-financial risk intelligence for the world’s largest multinational corporations; banks and asset managers; governments and NGOs. Coming from an academic background, she now advises global companies and organisations at board level on issues including: global and political risks, human rights, ethical supply chains, corporate reputation and CSR. Alyson is a consultant to the World Economic Forum, where she is also part of the faculty; she is a member of Clinton Global Initiative and on the Board of Trustees at Transparency International UK. From 1999 to 2009 Alyson was Chair of Strategy and International Development at Warwick Business School, where she won the inaugural Faculty Pioneer “Beyond Grey Pinstripes Award” (called by the FT the “Business School Oscars”), regularly won the “Outstanding Teacher Award” and was made an Honorary Professor in 2010. She is an accomplished speaker at high-level international events and has written several books and more than one hundred articles, including a regular column for Business Week. In 2010 Alyson was a recipient of a Business Insurance Magazine “Women to Watch” award.

Ed Cole - Chief Operating Officer

Ed Cole has a BSc in Physics and Electronics. He has 25 years experience in high growth technology companies as engineer, operations, marketing, sales and general management. Most of his career has been with Silicon Valley based companies with international responsibilities. He lived in Switzerland through the 90’s, with corporate roles at Silicon Graphics Inc. during its time of near vertical growth and serial acquisitions. With a special interest in mathematical modeling and visualisation for scientific and business insight, Ed directs Maplecroft’s technology together with business operations and finance.

Dr Kevin Franklin - Director

Dr. Kevin Franklin has a PhD in Business Studies from Warwick Business School with a focus on collaborative decision-making, stakeholder engagement and sustainability performance management. He has a strong practical background embedding sustainability performance management systems, assurance programmes and reporting processes in corporate and operational functions of multi-national businesses. Kevin has 10+ years experience advising companies on non-financial risks and corporate responsibility issues in developed and developing country contexts. This includes extensive work on energy and climate change, carbon strategies and accounting, biodiversity and related environmental issues. He is an experienced auditor in both ISO 14001, ISO 14064 and SA 8000 standards and has authored numerous reports for high-level international fora.

Anthony Skinner - Director

Anthony is responsible for coordinating and managing client deliverables including same-day analysis, country risk reports and briefings, with a special focus on the MENA region and Turkey. A seasoned political analyst with years of on-the-ground experience, Anthony regularly briefs clients on political risk in the broader Middle East. He also provides regular commentary to the international print and televised media on political risk in MENA and Turkey. Prior to joining Maplecroft, Anthony worked as a project coordinator, senior editor and a political and business risk analyst in Tunisia, Turkey, Egypt and Kuwait. He continues to write articles for the Financial Times (FT) and the Middle East Magazine. He has an MA Honours in Politics from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics.

Gus Macfarlane - Director

Gus trained in international law in the City and in international security at the University of St. Andrews. He has worked in the Lloyd's insurance market and the European Commission, where he trained with the terrorism and security cooperation unit. At Maplecroft, he is an integral part of the consultancy team and advises companies operating in emerging markets and the developing world on a range of issues including community relations, human rights, anti-corruption and stakeholder engagement. Gus also works with the political risk team, concentrating on sub-Saharan Africa and the extractive industries.

Fiona Place - Associate Director

Fiona leads Maplecroft’s business development and client relationship management team. She works closely with existing and prospective clients, across corporate strategy, government relations, operations, and risk management functions to select relevant products to help in decisions on new market entry, to assess risks in existing operations and to monitor trends that impact corporations operations, strategy and reputation in the short- and long-term. Formerly, Fiona headed the maps and indices function and brings a thorough understanding of the risk management / proficiency indices and custom mapping applications to the role. She also has experience of working on behalf of NGOs on issues relating to corporate social responsibility in Africa and Asia. Fiona has a BSc in Geography and Management Studies and an MSc in Sustainable Development.

Mandy Kirby - Associate Director

Mandy has a decade’s experience of political risk advisory and analysis and leads the Europe and Central Asia team at Maplecroft. Mandy brings expertise across sectors including extractives, consumer goods and financial services, and advises leading global companies on political, operational, human rights and security risks to develop tailored risk solutions. A governance and anti-corruption expert, Mandy has channelled experience of several Election Monitoring missions in central Asia into Maplecroft’s global governance and ethics offerings, and leads the Legal and Regulatory Environment Atlas. Mandy gained a First Class degree at University College London and previously led the Europe and Central Asia team at Global Insight as an analyst and economist. Work, study and pleasure has taken Mandy to over 55 countries on six continents. She frequently provides analysis on live and pre-recorded television and radio, and to online and print journalism.

Helen Hodge - Associate Director

Helen leads Maplecroft’s Maps and Indices team and is responsible for the delivery of Maplecroft’s suite of Atlases. She has eight years experience in quantifying and communicating key risk issues. In particular Helen has specialises in the analysis of natural hazards and disasters and also brings an extensive knowledge of environmental risks. Before joining Maplecroft Helen worked in probabilistic modelling of catastrophe events for the insurance and reinsurance industry. She has particular expertises in the impact of catastrophic events from both a humanitarian and economic perspective and has been widely quoted in broadcast, online and print media. She holds a masters degree in Geography from the University of Bristol.

Mike Davies - Associate Director

Mike is an experienced political risk consultant with specialist knowledge of sub-Saharan Africa, particularly southern and eastern Africa. He has briefed numerous corporate and financial sector clients, including FTSE100 and S&P500 firms, hedge funds and asset managers and regularly provides press and TV interviews. Mike has a degree in economics from the University of Cape Town and a MA in International Relations from the University of Warwick.

James Smither - Associate Director

James is Head of Maplecroft's Mining and Engineering Practice. He is an experienced investment strategy and risk management advisor with over a decade of experience supporting blue-chip multinational companies’ operations in emerging markets worldwide. James has led fieldwork assignments and policy and strategy sessions with management teams at corporate headquarters across all six continents, with a particular focus on political risk management, on the economies of sub-Saharan Africa and the extractives industries. He has been regularly quoted in international print and broadcast media such as the Financial Times, Forbes magazine, the BBC and CNN, is a published author on topics relating to risk management, and has presented at forums including the Council on Foreign Relations and the African Mining Indaba. Prior to joining Maplecroft, James worked in a number of risk consulting, investment-advisory, international development and analysis roles; he has degrees in International Relations and Modern History from Cambridge University (UK).

James Rutherford - Associate Director

James leads the software team at Maplecroft, with a personal focus on internal data management, index calculation methodology and tools, and bespoke software projects for clients. Before joining Maplecroft, James spent three years in industrial research at HP Labs, working on projects ranging from open source digital library platforms to cloud repository infrastructure. He has a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Edinburgh.

Jason McGeown - Head of Communications

Jason directs the PR and media strategy for Maplecroft. He is the point of contact for all media enquiries relating to the company’s research and is responsible for all marketing activities. He is a media professional with several years in the broadcast and online industries, where he has extensive experience of developing and promoting political, social and environmental themed documentaries to international audiences. Following his degree in English, he trained as a journalist and worked on the production of a number of documentaries. Before joining Maplecroft he was the head of content for an online VOD documentary channel.