Mark Carleton-Smith

Sir Mark Carleton-Smith is one of the most consequential military thinkers of his generation.

His career began on a university cadetship in 1982 and eventually took him through some of the most elite and operationally complex parts of the British military. Carleton-Smith commanded the 22 Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) during its height of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and later oversaw all UK’s Special Forces. He has held pivotal roles such as Military Assistant to the Commander-in-Chief Land Forces, Director of Military Strategy and Operations in the Ministry of Defence, and was ultimately Chief of the General Staff.

Since leaving the Army, Mark Carleton-Smith has become a powerful, unvarnished voice on the geopolitical disruptions that are transforming global business and security. He frames today’s tensions as a multi-dimensional contest involving ideology, technology, finance, and private power. He often challenge investors to rethink risk: not just in terms of geography, but of governance. His central thesis is stark.

Modern conflicts are no longer confined to battlefields but played out in energy grids, cyberspace, supply chains, and financial systems. In his words, we are entering an age of “hybrid warfare”, where missile strikes coexist with data hacks, and autocracies weaponise migration and disinformation to destabilise democracies from within.

For companies rethinking global supply chains, and institutions recalibrating their ESG strategies, he believes geopolitical literacy is a core competency and brings an incisive view on the future of power. He warns that while Western economies still hold significant leverage, they face headwinds of political fragmentation, overdependence on fragile supply lines, and the erosion of international norms. Carleton-Smith’s insights are vital in connecting the dots between security, sovereignty, economic resilience, and long-term strategic planning.

Mark Carleton-Smith sits on several boards and advisory councils, including the Warsaw Security Forum and the International Institute for Strategic Studies.