Spotlight | United Kingdom
Planned Middle East group COMENA sparks Tory discord

The Agencies' Gazette
Avril Haines' comeback, DGSE entrance exam tips, Middle East links, China seeks AI expertise in Cairo

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community.

United StatesEx-DNI Avril Haines talks ethics

FranceDGSE official offers candidates exam advice

UKEx-Foreign Secretary James Cleverly keeps discreet ties with Middle East

China/EgyptBeijing makes Cairo moves to gain access to US AI expertise

The Corporate Intelligence Gazette
Tory donor crafts own narrative, Revue des Deux Mondes and Bousquet, Bulgarian refinery lobbying

Appointments, financial results, new contracts: every Wednesday, we report on events big and small that matter in the global corporate intelligence community.

LondonTory donor Mohamed Amersi takes reputation into his own hands

ParisBousquet de Florian and Sellal at Revue des Deux Mondes gala

Washington/SofiaLobbyist running for Bulgarian refinery builds network in Sofia

United Kingdom, United States
Talent wars: Secretariat on hiring spree for London investigation department

In a bid to expand its team in the UK, US consulting group Secretariat Advisors has been recruiting from Ankura Consulting, G3 and JS Held. Yet some potential recruits have been turned down.

United Kingdom
The new Lords of intelligence, part 2: former Johnson adviser Ross Kempsell taps into Hawthorn Advisors' networks

The youngest male member of the House of Lords is heading up new investigative firms and building up his networks with the veterans of reputation management.

Russia, United Kingdom, United States
London investor with Russian roots, Gemcorp quietly builds lobbying campaign in DC and London

To continue to be able to operate freely in Eastern Europe and Africa, Gemcorp, an investment firm whose ties to Russia run deep, is working on its robust networks of influence within the US and UK establishments.

Malaysia
UK cyber experts devour Malaysian threat intelligence opportunities

British cyber capacity-building specialists have recently signed a slew of partnerships in Kuala Lumpur, spurred on by Malaysia's growing appetite for threat intelligence technology.

United Kingdom
Specialist consultant Jeff Townsend plays key role in Westminster critical minerals debate

PR consultant Jeff Townsend is currently in demand with the British authorities, who are alarmed about their dependence on China for rare metals. He is taking advantage of the situation to champion the creation of an industrial alliance between the Five Eyes countries in this domain.

United Kingdom
NGO CoJiT provides link between Amersi, Ian Maxwell and British Conservative MPs

Mohamed Amersi, who has been trying to break into Conservative political circles for some time, has through one of his think tanks employed the parliamentary assistant of rising Conservative MP Alexander Stafford.

United Kingdom, United States
Former FBI officer Mark Rossini in legal spat over consulting for Walter Soriano and CT Group

After a lengthy period below the radar after his departure from the FBI, Mark Rossini is in the spotlight again for his work with intelligence consultant Walter Soriano and with the influence firm CT Group in Puerto Rico.

Russia, United Kingdom
Distanced from gold miner Petropavlovsk, Hambros stay connected to Londongrad mining world

Although Peter and Jay Hambro have stepped back from Petropavlovsk, the British-registered Russian gold mining company, they are still very active in London's mining community.

United Kingdom
MPs slam UK lawyers and investigators who serve oligarchs

Speaking in a House of Commons debate on what they qualify as "lawfare" waged by oligarchs in London, a group of British MPs have raised their concerns about anti-SLAPP procedures and the legal firms and a small set of private investigators involved in them.

United Kingdom
Boris Johnson's economic intelligence unit creates fresh market for investigation companies

The UK government's Investment Security Unit, which will oversee and monitor the risk of foreign economic investment, will officially start work on 4 January, despite facing a barrage of criticism from parliament. It is already seeking support from private investigators, for whom this service may provide a new market.

Spotlight | France, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
Nabil el Daher's Middle East contracts come back to haunt Airbus

A Paris court will begin a hearing at 2pm on 30 June into a case that has been hanging over Airbus for years. The former agent of the group's border protection arm Signalis is ready for a new round, even if that means revealing contracts made in Saudia Arabia and the rest of the region.

Iraq
Iraqi Kurdistan's Khor Mor gas field extension attracts interest

After a period of inaction due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, the expansion of the Khor Mor gas field is back on again, attracting the interest of oil traders who will have to navigate their way through local and regional rivalries.

Spotlight | Russia, United Kingdom
Dmitry Vozianov, Oligarchs' trouble-shooting czar

"Be careful if you write about him", Intelligence Online was warned when it started looking into Dmitry Vozianov a few weeks ago. There are not many people in the corporate intelligence world who inspire as much awe as this consultant [.

United Kingdom
Lord Astor turns attentions to Bangkok

John Astor, Baron Astor of Hever, the former parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Defence, was appointed chairman of the [...]

Saudi Arabia
Khalid bin Bandar arrives in London loaded with business contacts

Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud, a man well introduced within the UK's Establishment, should soon make his mark as the [...]

United Kingdom
Benyon brings precious contacts to ISC

Influential Conservative MP Richard Benyon rejoined the newly reformed Intelligence & Security Committee on November 17, after a wait of [...]

UAE, United Kingdom
Brightstone Middle East paves way for British defence industry

With the support of a member of one of the UAE's ruling families, Brightstone Middle East is looking to carve a niche for itself in negotiations between the UAE and British defence companies.

Insiders | Iran, United Kingdom
Norman Lamont, pillar of the British-Iranian business community

Since leaving his post as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the government of John Major in the mid-1990s, Norman Lamont, now Lord Lamont of Lerwick, has made a name for himself as an adviser and lawyer to the richest business people in the Iranian diaspora in the United Kingdom.

Russia | Moscow
Truce to Prevail in IPOC-Alpha War

The IPOC fund and the Alfa conglomerate are negotiating a settlement of their long-standing quarrel that mobilized a raft of investigative firms.

UK Foreign Office seeks subcontractor to run Somalia support fund

The UK Foreign Office is looking for a company capable of managing the estimated £180m (€213m) of its third Somalia Stability Fund.