RIGEL is a multi-disciplinary consultancy that delivers outcomes to clients in the public and private sectors. We discreetly address and resolve issues of critical and strategic importance affecting governments, commerce and society. We provide private channels for communication between governments and businesses, advice on strategies to find solutions, and capability to implement, deliver progress and achieve results.

We are a key private sector resource for governments and corporations seeking solutions to intractable, ongoing, or immediate problems. We provide specialist skills, access, and influence to address matters that arise at the intersection of business, politics, and government, between government and society and in the realm of international relations. Whether it is a matter of creating new or fixing old relationships, facilitating bilateral or multilateral dialogue and negotiations, a potential opportunity to be taken forward, or a crisis to be navigated or resolved, RIGEL has a bespoke, effective, discreet, and efficient team to drive solutions for our clients.

RIGEL uses its networks to determine what a client is doing right or wrong in a given situation, policy, business operation or country. We access and assess third party perceptions - those of governments, the international community and its institutions, civil society, competitors as well as local and international public opinion - of a client or its activities so as to strategize and implement a corrective course of action to achieve a beneficial outcome. Our unique fusion of government and private sector access, knowledge, and experience allows us to navigate territory and deliver effects in ways that complement and unlock the full capabilities and potential of governments and corporations.

RIGEL operates discreetly at the highest levels, making use of direct access to leaders, their advisors, key influencers, decision makers and validators. We have strong relationships with governments, the international community, the media and within the private sector in areas of value to our clients.

Our multi-disciplinary experience and know-how adds invaluable capability and capacity, increases efficiency, and creates cost savings for our clients. Our holistic approach is a necessity for any client seeking solutions in complex and opaque environments, where single strand activity risks building costs without obtaining durable solutions.

It is difficult for any state or corporation, however large or powerful they may be, to retain or have direct access to each and every specialist skill set that may be needed at any given time. RIGEL is a single vehicle that delivers capability to fill such gaps. We do this by retaining in-house, management and specialist core skills within our areas of practice and supplementing our capacity through a trusted and dedicated global consultant network including some of the most respected international professionals and practitioners in the world today.

• International diplomacy and international affairs
• Foreign and domestic policy
• Overseas business and inward investment
• State building and development
• Intelligence and security
• Counter terrorism and counter violent extremism
• Research and investigations
• Civil society engagement
• International and domestic law and justice
• Conflict and dispute resolution
• Good governance, best practice, transparency and anti-corruption
• Asset-tracing and recovery
• Risk, crisis and reputation management
• Media, strategic communications and PR
• Campaigning and lobbying (political and civil society)
• Project management, research, design and implementation.

• Private legal counsel
• Project solutions
• Reputation and media management
• Intelligence, investigations and research
• Risk and crisis management
• Gateway business entry
• In-country relationship building (private diplomacy, government, business, and civil society)
• Lobbying
• Inward investment
• Social reinvestment schemes
• Dispute resolution and litigation (dialogue, arbitration, and mediation)
• Legal advice and representation
• In-country initiatives (implementation and management)
• Fin-tech solutions
• Strategic communications and PR.

• Foreign policy & international relations (policy, strategy & implementation)
• Overseas relationship building (governments, institutions, sectors, civil society)
• Dialogue (discreet & open platforms)
• Lobbying (overseas governments & international institutions)
• Strategic communications and PR.

• Commercial diplomacy (inward investment, dispute resolution, mediation, and litigation)
• Private legal counsel
• Risk and crisis management
• Project solutions
• Reputation and media management
• Investigations and research
• Legal advice and representation
• Campaigns (political and civil society)
• Policy (domestic and foreign) strategy, audit, and review (framework, drafting, implementation)
• National security and intelligence advisory
• Counter terrorism and counter violent extremism
• Public order and rule of law
• Good governance, best practice and transparency
• Anti-corruption
• Asset recovery
• Task force/think tank (creation/management).

• Advice and representation
• Civil and commercial mediation, arbitration, and litigation
• Criminal prosecution/defence (domestic and international)
• International law
• Reputation and media management (defamation and privacy)
• Human rights (compliance audits and advisory)
• Transitional justice
• Rule of law
• Conflict resolution
• Asset recovery
• Compliance and reform.

• Legacy projects
• Political campaigns (campaigning, polling, and monitoring)
• Humanitarian issues
• Philanthropy
• Campaign fundraising
• Think tanks
• Task forces
• Asset recovery
• HR audits
• Monitoring
• Civil society consultation and outreach
• Private and public inquiries
• Social reinvestment schemes
• HR and victim campaigns
• Lawfare.

• Strategic communications
• Media management
• Speech writing
• Messaging
• PR
• Campaigns
• Legal protection
• Articles (drafting and placement)
• Events.

• State and corporate outsourcing/support
• Intelligence Policy: audits, reviews and recommendations
• Intelligence training
• Specialist investigations
• Public and private inquiries
• Asset-tracing and recovery
• Due diligence
• Litigation support.

• Risk audits and assessments
• Task force crisis management
• Crisis centres
• Commercial diplomacy
• Private diplomacy
• Government outsourcing
• Private legal counsel
• Project solutions
• Reputation and media management
• Intelligence, investigations and research.

RIGEL has a core team of distinguished, highly skilled, respected, and experienced individuals from professional, practitioner and former government backgrounds which has worked successfully in creating and driving solutions for clients in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Far East, and Asia.

Our management team is supported by an administrative hub that co-ordinates projects and project teams. Project teams are comprised of in-house and consultant network expertise (not all our consultant network is publicly listed on the website) and supplemented by trusted additional capability when required.

Philip Boulton is a former senior British official who has acted as an adviser to governments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa on strategic issues. In 2015 Philip co-founded RIGEL Corporation Ltd, to assist governments in emerging markets to engage with international commercial partners to meet their strategic investment needs. Through RIGEL, Philip also acts as an adviser to a number of corporates in the extractives, energy and commodities sectors, to help them achieve their goals in Africa and the Middle East. 

Jason McCue is a well-known international lawyer (human rights, litigation (civil and commercial), criminal defence, and transitional justice) and an internationally accomplished and respected strategic advisor on peace-making, conflict resolution, counter terrorism, transitional government, justice, and state building. His career has been focused on advising world leaders, governments, corporates, NGOs, and on supporting campaigns and political movements predominantly across the EU (Inc. former eastern bloc states), Africa, and Middle East. He is Senior Managing Partner of McCue Jury & Partners LLP. Jason is co-founder of RIGEL Corporation Ltd. He was awarded UK Lawyer of the Year in 2010 for his achievements in the human rights sector and peacebuilding work in Africa.

Matthew Jury is an expert in public international law, domestic and international human rights law, litigation (counter-terrorism and multi-jurisdictional), and campaign management. Matthew is a Ministry of Defence panel solicitor, a former Foreign and Commonwealth Office Consultant, and a previous nominee for the Law Society of England and Wales’ Solicitor of the Year and Junior Solicitor of the Year. His clients include victims of terrorism (representing them in a number of ground-breaking civil prosecutions against the perpetrators, supporters and financiers of global terrorism, including the IRA, HAMAS and Muammar Gaddafi); families of British soldiers killed in the Second Iraq War (Matthew litigated on their behalf against the Iraq Inquiry to secure a timely publication of the Chilcot Report); British Army veterans (in inquests and other matters); state governments (advising on counter-terrorism and human rights issues) and victims of international abuse of the INTERPOL Red Notice system (Matthew has represented a number of clients in quashing international warrants circulated to target political opponents and for improper purposes).

Matthew formerly represented death-row inmates in Virginia and South Carolina, US, and has advised and represented a number of political prisoners and UK citizens detained overseas in circumstances absent of due process and/or in breach of international standards of detention and human rights in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. He is a regular commentator for newspapers, radio and TV.

RIGEL’S consultant network are independent consultants and consultancies that have an affiliation with RIGEL. Some members of our consultant network are unable to be named publicly on the website for reasons of confidentiality and security but we can share their biographies privately where appropriate.

McCue & Partners LLP is a boutique specialist international law firm that is internationally acknowledged as a leading law firm in human rights, litigation, criminal defence and prosecution, transitional justice, and reputation management. The media has dubbed the firm as “The Enforcers” and as “Someone to Watch Over Us”. The firm is one of the UK’s most highly recommended (Legal 500 and Chambers Directories) law firms, including lawyers that are acknowledged as leaders in their fields. This enables RIGEL to be in the unique position of providing clients with on demand legal advice or direct formal representation through the law firm. See www.mccue-law.com.

EBRO Global is a not for profit organization established in response to the growing need for communities, states, and international actors - in an increasingly unstable world - to have access to rapidly-deployable independent and highly specialist advice and support. We manage and provide specialist capability, on an ad hoc basis to provide flexible, effective, and efficient solutions to the highest international standards.

EBRO provides access to a multi-disciplinary network of international experts in:
• Political and international diplomacy (relationship building, dialogue, foreign relations)
• Law (rule of law, constitutional, human rights, criminal and international law, litigation, and transitional justice)
• Conflict and crisis management (mediation, dialogue, truth & reconciliation)
• Best practice and good governance (anti-corruption and asset recovery)
• Strategic communications
• Campaigning (political, humanitarian and victims).

EBRO delivers solutions that promote social, economic, and political stability. We offer durable solutions to pressing international and domestic challenges through the provision of experienced advice, representation, diplomacy, and mediation.

EBRO’s services are tailored for communities, states, government bodies, and inter-governmental institutions. We also offer certain services to NGOs and multi-national corporations operating in complex political environments. EBRO acts as a focal point for campaigning and action on behalf of victims, whether private individuals, organisations, or states.

EBRO assists clients to define the challenges they are facing and assembles teams of experts to devise and deliver comprehensive strategies for addressing them. EBRO’s role is primarily advisory. However, our teams will also implement, manage, and/ or monitor the strategies we propose. Please see www.ebroglobal.com

Fields PLLC is a USA law firm with offices in Atlanta and Washington, has established relationships with world-class litigation teams, leading consulting firms and specialists. It can field a first-rate multi-disciplinary team to recover claims for states, sovereign Indian tribes, corporations and individuals. Our consultants have
unique practices in identifying litigation opportunities in antitrust, insurance and other related fields; developing settlement models; and managing large data analytics projects.

Blue Star Strategies (BSS) LLC is a dynamic, interdisciplinary strategic consulting, public affairs, and government relations firm based in Washington, DC with offices in Europe and Latin America. Blue Star Strategies SAS expands the firm's work in Europe, serving clients in Paris, France and Brussels, Belgium.

Their principals, who previously served at the highest levels of the U.S. government in the White House, Department of Commerce, Department of State, Congress, as well as in the private sector and labour institutions, provide full and personalized attention to clients for the duration of a project. They lead a team with decades of experience working with, government, business, labour, multilateral and public policy institutions, think tanks, non-profit advocacy organizations, and the media and are focused on achieving concrete results and success for clients.

Mohammed Yonis is a former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations. He was Minister for Foreign Affairs for Somaliland from 2013 to 2015 and is a seasoned diplomat with over 40 years’ experience in international development and conflict management. He is a former Director and Adviser to the President of the African Development Bank and, from 2009 to 2013, he worked as Deputy Joint Special Representative of UNAMID in Darfur, coordinating efforts between the UN, the African Union and the Government of Sudan. Amongst other roles, it was his responsibility to conduct hostage negotiations. Mr. Yonis was the Foreign Minister of Somaliland for over two years until October 2015. While in that capacity, he co-hosted the first Investment Conference for Somaliland with the UK Government in London; led a high-level delegation to the first Somaliland Conference at the European Union Parliament in Brussels in January 2015; and participated as an observer at the African Development Bank’s Annual Meetings in May 2015.

Mr. Yonis holds an MPA from Harvard University where he was a Mason Fellow, and a BA in Political Science and Business Management from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He also holds diplomas in conflict resolution and in education obtained in Canada, Somalia and Germany. He is an expert on public policy, particularly, in relation to governance, management and peace building in Africa. He speaks fluent English and Arabic.

Cofer Black is a former CIA official who was appointed Ambassador-at-large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism by President George W. Bush and led the Office of Counterterrorism in the U.S. State Department. Previously he served in the Directorate of Operations at the Central Intelligence Agency(CIA) and as Director of the CIA's Counterterrorist Center (CTC). Cofer is an internationally recognized authority on counterterrorism, cyber security, national security, and foreign affairs.

In recent years, Cofer has provided strategic guidance, business development, and high-level consulting to leading global companies, corporate support to US Government and international customers and is currently on the board of several companies including the Baltic International Bank.

Sir Ronald Flanagan GBE, QPM was Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and its predecessor the Royal Ulster Constabulary. He was subsequently appointed as the Home Office Chief Inspector of Constabulary for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Since leaving the UK police force, he became the strategic advisor to the Abu Dhabi police force and chairman of the international cricket council’s anti-corruption and security unit.

Jasmine Zerinini is a former French diplomat, with recognised expertise on South Asia and a background in human and hard security issues. She served as Director for South Asia and Afghanistan in the Quai d’Orsay between 2008 and 2011. She also acted as French Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. In this capacity, she was responsible for reconstruction and civilian assistance to Afghanistan and Pakistan. She has held policy-level positions in the French Ministry of Defence and the Prime Minister’s Office in relation to security, the coordination of intelligence, and Asian affairs, during which she helped develop institutional relationships between France and countries in Asia and Oceania in the security field. She is a member of the Bar in London and an accredited mediator with the ADR group. She is a Trustee of Inter-Mediate, a charity dedicated to mediation and conflict-resolution, and a member of the Council of Chatham House (the Royal Institute of International Affairs). She speaks English, French, Spanish, Hindi, and German.

Justin Marozzi is a political and strategic communications advisor, journalist, author, and broadcaster with extensive experience in international project management and a proven track record of working with senior political leadership at Head of State level and across international governments, UN agencies, European Union, African Union, and NATO. Highly experienced in conflict and post-conflict environments, with many years working in the Middle East and Arab word, he is also a professional communicator with the highest academic qualifications and a proven ability to achieve outstanding results in the most testing situations.

He is a member of the UK government Stabilisation Unit’s Deployable Civilian Experts in Strategic Communications, with UK government / NATO security clearance. He is also a Visiting Senior Research Fellow in the Policy Institute at King’s College London and a Senior Research Fellow at Buckingham University’s Humanities Research Institute. He was a Trustee of the Royal Geographical Society 2011-2014.

He has extensive experience as a political and strategic communications advisor to: The Office of the Prime Minister of Libya; NATO (Norway) and Allied Rapid Reaction Corps; Strategic Communications Evaluation, UN, Geneva; Senior Communications Advisor to the President and Prime Minister of Somalia; Senior Communications Advisor to Director of UK Government’s Stabilisation Unit; Director of Government Relations, Aegis, Iraq; Senior Advisor, Albany Associates.

He is a writer, historian and journalist and regularly contributes to national and international publications and broadcasters, including BBC, FT, Newsweek, Spectator, Times, Sunday Telegraph, Guardian, Evening Standard. He was a former contributing editor to The Spectator.

Richard W. Fields, the founding partner of Fields PLLC, is an innovative lawyer whose creative approach to the practice of law has earned him the reputation as a pioneer in settling complex large-scale litigation and the creation of the modern litigation finance market. His strong ability to solve problems by bringing in different perspectives has been key to his long track record of success.

Over the course of his legal career, Mr. Fields has recovered billions of dollars for numerous Fortune 500 clients and in 2006, he was named a “Leading Lawyer” by Lawdragon magazine. Mr. Fields has litigation experience in disputes involving insurance coverage, products liability, professional negligence, securities fraud, pollution, asbestos, and mass torts. He has represented hundreds of Fortune 500 companies in the oil, gas, electric, chemical, banking, and manufacturing industries. He has resolved some of the largest claims presented to London market insurers, leading to recognition as an authority on the resolution of insurance and reinsurance disputes, and he has represented victims of terrorism in numerous cases.

As a premier litigator working as a fund manager from 2008-2015, Richard managed $600 million in private and public litigation funds. As the founder and CEO of Juridica Asset Management Limited (“JAML”), Mr. Fields launched the first publicly-traded fund for complex lawsuits involving business-to-business disputes on the London Stock Exchange. In addition to his experience as a litigator and fund manager, Mr. Fields has raised over $1.0 billion in capital for various start-ups and early-stage companies, is an active member of the District of Columbia Bar Association, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the American Bar Association and the International Bar Association. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the McKinney School of Law at Indiana University, the Audit Committee of Human Rights Watch and previously served as co-chair of the New York Committee of Human Rights Watch and on the Advisory Board of Rand Corporation’s Institute for Civil Justice.

Faisal Osman is a leader in international asset recovery on behalf of governments and commercial organisations, and the worldwide enforcement of judgments and awards. He acts as co-ordinating counsel and chief strategist in multi-disciplinary recovery teams and advises clients on all aspect of a recovery process, including merits and financing. Faisal is called to the Bar of England and Wales and registered before the Dubai Financial International Centre Courts in the UAE and practices worldwide.

Rupert Wright is a strategic communications counsellor who has advised numerous governments and in particular those in the gulf states and the Caribbean. Before Ashbright, he was Middle East Chairman of Edelman, the world’s largest public relations company. He has worked with Shell, ADCB, General Electric and Mubadala, a sovereign wealth fund, among others. He has run media training courses for government and corporate clients including Shell, BlackBerry and Etihad Airways.

He began his career in London at Euromoney in the 1990s, reporting from emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia, Poland and Indonesia. In 1996 he joined The European under the editorship of Andrew Neill, where he was business and finance editor. In 2000 he consulted for the World Bank, developing its Water Media Network, as well as LTP Trade and Deutsche Bank in London. He has written books on water and the Languedoc. He has also written for most of the world’s major newspapers including the Financial Times, Washington Post, The Times and Wall Street Journal. He was instrumental in the start-up of the National newspaper in Abu Dhabi in 2008, where he was business comment editor.

Toby Burnham is an expert in global communications with a demonstrated depth of experience working successfully in public relations across multiple sectors and different continents. He is skilled in crisis management and building campaign narratives through strategic communications, corporate social responsibility aspects, event management and worldwide media relations.

Toby’s twenty years’ experience at running global news events along with an in-depth working knowledge of the technologies and architecture of modern news coverage, allows him to design, build, and run campaigns or crisis management very effectively.

While adept on any continent, Toby has focussed much of his work across Africa, working in Sudan, Republic of South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco and Libya; and the Middle East (UAE, Qatar). Added to that is a record of significant high-level consultancy work in a range of global sectors, such as health and development (World Health Organisation, RED, Malaria No More, The Global Fund, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), energy (National Oil Corporation of Libya), sport and entertainment; creating a rare mix of connectivity and knowledge of many types of content and story-building across the world.