Richard Thompson

I have had a very varied career – starting out in the Royal Air Force as an Intelligence Officer, then running a home decoration store in Paris, to working for over a decade as an employment lawyer until I joined byrne·dean in 2014. During my career I have experienced highs and lows – I have experienced first -hand what it feels like to be bullied and harassed at work, I also know how great it feels to connect with your colleagues and build strong relationships. Throughout all of my experiences there is one common factor – people.

I have learned to respect the importance and power of human interactions – if we get it right, good interactions can empower people, help them to develop, thrive and feel included; if we get it wrong (mostly unintentionally) the risks are high – legal, reputational, regulatory and human. Since joining in 2014 I have been drawing on my experiences to help design and deliver impactful, innovative and thought-provoking training interventions for clients across the globe. I have worked across numerous sectors but have particular expertise within the financial, legal and insurance sectors. To date I have delivered sessions to audiences in the USA, China, Japan, Singapore, Brazil, France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Ireland and of course up and down the UK.

As Co-head of Training I am incredibly privileged and proud to co-lead the training team alongside my colleague Alison Best. I am passionate about helping the team to bring our values to life and help our clients create kinder, fairer more productive workplaces. I am particularly proud of the breadth and depth of knowledge, skills and experience we have on the team which mean we are always able to develop unique solutions to our clients’ training needs that truly make a difference.