About Oakwood Risk & Resilience

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 Luke is a founding Director of Oakwood Risk and Resilience. He is a former Police Officer with over twenty years’ experience in the risk and resilience sector.  

Luke is an experienced consultant and trainer specialising in operational risk and resilience, crisis management, and security risk management. With a background in corporate and high risk environments, and a proven track record across both public and private sectors, Luke brings practical insight and strategic clarity to complex challenges.

Luke leads the design and delivery of training programmes and consultancy services across areas such as business continuity, security risk management, crisis response, and investigations. Luke has worked closely with a range of organisations, from global corporates to critical national infrastructure, helping teams prepare for, respond to, and recover from major incidents.

Luke is a Certified Protection Professional (CPP®) and holds a number of professional qualifications in security, risk and resilience including an MBA with Risk and Resilience. 

Bryn is a seasoned consultant with specialist expertise in security, investigations, and risk management. With a diverse background spanning executive protection, complex consultancy, and professional training delivery, they bring a wealth of real-world experience to every course.

In addition to their consultancy work, Bryn serves as an Independent Advisor to several high-profile private clients and is a former anti-human trafficking investigator, having worked extensively on cases involving vulnerable individuals.

Bryn is also the founder of Blue Bear Coffee Co., a registered social enterprise that supports global efforts to combat human trafficking. The organisation sells ethically sourced, single-origin coffee to fund initiatives that protect, equip, and empower children affected by exploitation.

Jes served as a police officer with Norfolk Constabulary for 30 years, retiring in 2012 at the rank of Detective Chief Inspector. The majority of his service was spent as a senior detective, specialising in covert and proactive policing, general CID, and fraud investigations. 

In 2004, he was appointed as a Senior Investigating Officer and, for the final five years of his policing career, worked on the Major Investigation Team for Norfolk and Suffolk. During this time, he led over 50 major investigations into serious crimes including murder, kidnap, and stranger rape. He also contributed to investigative training across several levels.

Following his retirement from the police, he joined the Norfolk Coroner’s Service, becoming the Senior Coroner’s Officer. In this role, he investigated several hundred unnatural deaths, including workplace fatalities, and was actively involved in delivering national training to Coroner’s Officers and Medical Examiner’s Officers before retiring from the service in 2024.

For the past 12 years, he has also served as National Duty Manager for MCM, responding to critical incidents within the energy sector and contributing to the delivery of training in this field.

Frances Abbott is a skilled consultant with extensive experience in public protection, corporate wellbeing, and security risk management. With a background in the UK Police, Frances specialised in the management of high-risk individuals, working at the forefront of safeguarding and risk assessment in complex and sensitive environments.

Following her policing career, she transitioned into the corporate sector, where she has led on wellbeing and welfare initiatives, supporting organisations to build safer, more resilient workforces. Her combined expertise in both operational risk and employee wellbeing allows her to deliver holistic solutions that prioritise both safety and care.

At Oakwood Risk and Resilience, Frances leads on Investigation Services and Crisis Management Exercising, helping organisations prepare for high-pressure situations while maintaining a strong focus on the human impact of major incidents. Her empathetic approach and deep operational knowledge make her a trusted partner for clients across a wide range of sectors.

With over 30 years of experience in law enforcement, Roger is an experienced police officer specialising in hostage negotiation. 

Throughout his extensive career, he has honed his expertise as both a Hostage Negotiator and a Hostage Negotiator Trainer, successfully managing high-stress situations. As a qualified trainer, Roger runs structured debriefs, providing crucial support and targeted training for teams and individuals after high-risk incidents to ensure optimal performance and resilience. 

His training experience spans across the globe, with Hostage Negotiator courses in the USA, Canada, and Abu Dhabi, broadening his ability to navigate diverse cultural and situational contexts in international negotiation scenarios. 

A certified TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) trainer, Roger is deeply committed to supporting the mental well-being of staff. Through the delivery of essential tools and strategies, Roger helps staff manage the psychological challenges of their roles. Roger remains devoted to mentoring and developing the next generation of public and private sector professionals.

Chris is a business resilience professional with deep experience in continuity, disaster recovery, and crisis response. At StoneX, a Fortune 100 financial services firm, he led global efforts to strengthen recovery strategies, coordinate application-level crisis teams, and support leadership during high-impact events. 

He’s played a key role in navigating real-world incidents, including major cyber disruptions, and brings a steady, structured approach to complex problems. With a background in criminal and financial investigations, Chris approaches risk with a sharp eye for detail and a practical mindset. 

Chris is particularly passionate about crisis leadership, helping teams stay clear-headed and effective when pressure is high. From building tactical response plans to running executive-level scenario exercises, his focus is on making resilience real: not just policies on paper, but strategies that hold up when tested. Chris believes resilience is about readiness, clarity, and people, and he’s committed to helping organisations strengthen all three.