Robert Fry
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
Sir Robert Alan Fry KCB
, CBE
is Executive Chairman of the McKinney Rogers Group of companies. Before joining McKinney Rogers, Fry served over 30 years on military operations from Kosovo, the Gulf and Iraq and was later a Vice President of Hewlett Packard. He remains an advisor to HP and a number of other companies in the defense and banking sectors.
He is a member the Royal United Services Institute
executive council and a trustee of Help for Heroes
.
and working for a period in commerce in New York
, Fry joined the Royal Marines in 1973.
Attendance at the Army Staff College was followed by tours in the Ministry of Defence
and Directorate of Special Forces, a sequence punctuated in the 1986/7 academic year when he studied for an MA (Distinction) in War Studies at King's College London
.
in 1995. In 1997, in the rank of brigadier
, he became the Director Naval Staff in the Ministry of Defence, after which he took over command of 3 Commando Brigade
in 1999 and deployed to Kosovo
.
He was also Director of Operations in the Ministry of Defence advising the prime minister on the military strategic direction of the UK’s response to the September 11 attacks.
He was appointed Commandant General Royal Marines
in 2001; a year later he took up the new and concurrent job of Commander United Kingdom Amphibious Forces, in which capacity he deployed as the UK Maritime Component Commander for operations in the Gulf, completing a novel double of command of both land and maritime forces at formation level.
He assumed the post of Chief of Staff at the Permanent Joint Headquarters
in Northwood
in May 2002 and remained in the job throughout the planning for and conduct of operations against Iraq
. He took over the job of Director of Operations in the Ministry of Defence in July 2003 which was followed by a final operational tour as Deputy Commanding General of coalition forces in Iraq. He retired in 2007.
in 2010.
Fry is an established essayist and has been widely published internationally (including prominent articles in the Wall Street Journal). He is also a Visiting Professor at Reading University and a visiting fellow at Oxford University.
. Later on he was then appointed CBE
for services as commander of a multinational brigade in Kosovo in 1998.
In July 2003, he was appointed KCB
for his services as Director of Operations in the MoD, and was awarded the US Legion of Merit for his final operational tour as Deputy Commanding General of coalition forces in Iraq.
and is a Freeman of the City of London.
|-
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Sir Robert Alan Fry KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
is Executive Chairman of the McKinney Rogers Group of companies. Before joining McKinney Rogers, Fry served over 30 years on military operations from Kosovo, the Gulf and Iraq and was later a Vice President of Hewlett Packard. He remains an advisor to HP and a number of other companies in the defense and banking sectors.
He is a member the Royal United Services Institute
Royal United Services Institute
The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies , officially still known by its old name, the Royal United Services Institution, is a British defence and security think tank. It was founded in 1831 by The Duke of Wellington.RUSI describes itself asIt won Prospect Magazine's...
executive council and a trustee of Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes is a British charity launched on 1 October 2007 to help provide better facilities for British servicemen and women wounded since September 11, 2001. It was founded by Bryn Parry OBE and his wife Emma Parry OBE after they visited soldiers at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham...
.
Early Career
After taking a degree in economics at the University of BathUniversity of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
and working for a period in commerce in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Fry joined the Royal Marines in 1973.
Attendance at the Army Staff College was followed by tours in the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
and Directorate of Special Forces, a sequence punctuated in the 1986/7 academic year when he studied for an MA (Distinction) in War Studies at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
.
Senior Military Career
In 1989, Fry was appointed Chief of staff, HQ 3 Commando Brigade and subsequently took part in Operation Haven in Northern Iraq. This was followed by a return to the Ministry of Defence before taking command of 45 Commando45 Commando
45 Commando Royal Marines is a battalion sized unit of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of Commander in Chief Fleet....
in 1995. In 1997, in the rank of brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
, he became the Director Naval Staff in the Ministry of Defence, after which he took over command of 3 Commando Brigade
3 Commando Brigade
3 Commando Brigade is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces and the main manoeuvre formation of the Royal Marines. Its personnel are predominantly Royal Marines, supported by units of Royal Engineers, Royal Artillery, The Rifles, and the Fleet Air Arm, together with other Commando...
in 1999 and deployed to Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
.
He was also Director of Operations in the Ministry of Defence advising the prime minister on the military strategic direction of the UK’s response to the September 11 attacks.
He was appointed Commandant General Royal Marines
Commandant General Royal Marines
The Commandant General Royal Marines is the professional head of the Royal Marines. The title has existed since 1945...
in 2001; a year later he took up the new and concurrent job of Commander United Kingdom Amphibious Forces, in which capacity he deployed as the UK Maritime Component Commander for operations in the Gulf, completing a novel double of command of both land and maritime forces at formation level.
He assumed the post of Chief of Staff at the Permanent Joint Headquarters
Permanent Joint Headquarters
The Permanent Joint Headquarters is the British tri-service headquarters from where all overseas military operations are planned and controlled. It is situated at Northwood Headquarters in Northwood, London....
in Northwood
Northwood
Northwood is a suburban area in Greater London, and is part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.The population was recorded as 11,068 in 2008, by the Office for National Statistics.-Toponomy:...
in May 2002 and remained in the job throughout the planning for and conduct of operations against Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. He took over the job of Director of Operations in the Ministry of Defence in July 2003 which was followed by a final operational tour as Deputy Commanding General of coalition forces in Iraq. He retired in 2007.
Later career
Fry was a Vice President of Hewlett Packard where he ran its $1.5 billion Europe, Africa and Middle East defense business. They were responsible for the IT infrastructure of the entire British military. Fry is currently executive chairman of global business consultancy McKinney Rogers. As well as his duties as executive chairman, he has a business development role within the company which involves advising CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies. He is the public face of McKinney Rogers and serves as key note speaker, article writer and adviser to the public, businesses and journalists. Sir Robert Fry was an integral part of McKinney Rogers winning the Queens award for enterpriseQueen's Awards for Enterprise
The Queen's Awards for Enterprise is an awards programme for British businesses and other organizations who excel at international trade, innovation or sustainable development. They are the highest official UK awards for British businesses...
in 2010.
Fry is an established essayist and has been widely published internationally (including prominent articles in the Wall Street Journal). He is also a Visiting Professor at Reading University and a visiting fellow at Oxford University.
Awards
Early on in his career Fry was mentioned in Dispatches and was awarded the MBEOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. Later on he was then appointed CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services as commander of a multinational brigade in Kosovo in 1998.
In July 2003, he was appointed KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
for his services as Director of Operations in the MoD, and was awarded the US Legion of Merit for his final operational tour as Deputy Commanding General of coalition forces in Iraq.
Family
He is married to Liz and they have two daughters. He maintains his military links as Colonel, the Special Reconnaissance RegimentSpecial Reconnaissance Regiment
The Special Reconnaissance Regiment or SRR is a Special Forces regiment of the British Armed Forces. It was established on 6 April 2005 and is part of the United Kingdom Special Forces under command Director Special Forces, alongside the Special Air Service , Special Boat Service and the Special...
and is a Freeman of the City of London.
External links
- "World War I's Crucial Lesson for Today's Leaders", August 23 2011
- "Sun Tzu: The Best Leadership Teacher Of All Time?", August 27 2010
- Ex-servicemen manage with military precision
- Bosses must be heroes too
|-