Our Founders
Tim Cutbill
Mark Scoular
Paul Burnham
Tim served in the London Fire Brigade (LFB) for 31 years, progressing from fire-fighter to Assistant Commissioner. Throughout his career he has focussed on providing a professional service to the public with an emphasis on safety. Over the last 16 years, he has specialised in inter-operability between services and specifically with regard to counter terrorism. Tim has extensive international experience supporting capability building and response.
In 2012 being appointed as the national Fire Rescue Service (FRS) Strategic lead for inter-operability, liaising with central government and partner agencies to develop and implement innovative changes including the multi-agency Counter Terrorism (CT) doctrine which was successfully implemented during the recent terrorist attacks on in the UK. He was the strategic lead for the London Resilience Group for the last 3 years, having delegated responsibility for the Mayors of Londons Civil Contingencies Act responsibilities.
Prior to retiring from the LFB he was selected to represent the Foreign and Commonwealth Office overseas providing CT capacity building for partner countries. All of the above combined with his operational experience spanning 3 decades, including the Kings Cross Fire and the 7/7 bombings and his strategic command experience as a LFB Gold Commander within London provides him an excellent platform to help capacity build other countries and organisations.
Mark has dedicated himself to protecting the UK, its citizens and visitors to the UK as well as preparing our multi-agency emergency responders & special forces to keep our country secure against all manner of terrorist/non-terrorist related attacks and civil disaster. Within 26 years as a Metropolitan Police Officer, he worked extensively on leading the UK’s International effort to share knowledge and experience with Police, Fire, Ambulance, Military and Private/voluntary sector colleagues from those who are likely to be on scene first-responders (Operational) through to Senior leaders and government officials (Strategic).
He has worked alongside and partnered some of the most forward thinking, progressive and internationally recognised centres of excellence around the globe and has years of proven leadership at all levels.
From joining the Royal Marines Commando’s in 1983, through to Head of Emergency Preparedness for the London 2012 Olympic Games and finally as Head of International PROTECT and PREPARE for National Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters in the UK, Mark relishes and rises to the challenges of forming strategically powerful partnerships and delivering outstanding results…
With a proven track record across the Emergency Services, Military, International Search and Rescue and the Private Security Sector spanning over three decades, Paul has delivered consistently and to an exceptionally high standard from Emergency Preparedness and Capacity Building through to Incident & Disaster Response and training.
Retiring from the second largest Fire Service in the UK as the Head of Emergency Operations, Paul is well versed in firefighting and specialist rescue being recognised as a diligent individual and effective strategic leader.
Additionally, Paul worked with the UK Home Office in the development of the strategy for responding to and dealing with Terrorist Incidents at a single and multi-agency level as well as a being a capability assessor for other emergency services. A politically aware leader with a Master’s Degree in Politics, Paul understands this environment well.
A retired Major within the Royal Marines and the Reserves, Paul deployed Operationally in high threat areas on several occasions in Command Appointments in addition to being responsible for providing trained and competent Royal Marine Commando’s for operational deployment.
A previous Team Leader with the UK International Search & Rescue Team spanning over 25 years, Paul deployed on numerous missions to disasters across the globe including Earthquakes and Tsunami’s in Nepal, Japan, New Zealand, Africa and Turkey. Designing capacity building projects and developing and training teams, Paul has a wealth of knowledge and experience in this complex and frenetic environment.
Transitioning from the Public to the Private Sector, Paul has had responsibility for Safety & Security of Global Manufacturing Operation for Jaguar Land Rover from the UK, through Europe and South America ensuring a secure and protected environment.
As a Director with Protect & Prepare, Paul uses this knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to deliver to exceptionally high standards for our clients.
Our Associates
Dean Harris
With over 30 years’ experience in the UK Emergency Services, Dean holds an MSc in Disaster Management and various post graduate qualifications in Public Sector Leadership, Incident Management for Specialist Response and International Safety & Security.
Former Safety & Security national lead for the UK International Search & Rescue Team (UKISAR) Dean has over a decade of operational experience responding to sudden onset disasters around the world and has undertaken numerous international capacity building programmes across Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. At national level, he has delivered and led a number of Government programmes relating to specialist response, including the development of swift and flood water national doctrine, CBRN and interoperability programmes for responding agencies.
Currently, a part time associate University lecturer in 'Situational Leadership in the Field' at under graduate and post graduate (BSc & MSc) level. He delivers crisis and disaster management training across a range of command arenas including the blue light emergency services and the civil nuclear industry, both home and abroad.
Specialising in International Hostile Environment Operations (HEO) he currently maintains National Security Vetting clearance to SC level.
Shammi Rana
With over 25 years’ experience in emergency response, Shyam is currently in charge of Training & Development for the specialist Technical Rescue Unit within West Midlands Fire Service.
As a National Flood Tactical Advisor, he has responded to eight Major flood incidents around the UK and is the regional lead for the National Fire Chief’s Council.
He is currently a Brigade Hazardous Materials Advisor and a member of the National Resilience Detection, Identification & monitoring team. During the Commonwealth Games, formed part of the Multi Agency Specialist Assessment Team.
Shyam has been a member of the United Kingdom’s International Search & Rescue team for seventeen years and has deployed to seven international disasters including the Japanese Tsunami, wildfires in Greece, floods in Bosnia, earthquakes in Indonesia, Haiti and recently in Turkey and Morocco.
He currently holds the specialist roles of Command Team Leader, Safely & Security Officer, Sector Medical lead, and Urban Search & Rescue Technical Rescue Advisor.
Nicola McCullough
For several years leading up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Nicola was the Subject Matter Expert for the Josoor Institute in Qatar, developing and delivering mega event workforce and stakeholder training – which included accredited and non-accredited programmes and executive courses in a range of areas including Strategic Planning, Health & Safety Leadership, Managing & Leading Volunteers, High Performing Teams & Culture, Core Competencies Training, Stakeholder Engagement and Evaluation, Impact & Legacy. She is also an active researcher in her field and regularly contributes to scholarly texts and teaching case studies.
During the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Nicola delivered a bespoke one-year leadership programme alongside Protect & Prepare to over 85 Community Leaders across Qatar - to inspire and develop new engagement opportunities and structured support for all community groups. Subject specialist training areas included Self-Leadership, Innovation & Creativity, Measuring Impact & Success and How to Empower & Engage.
Nicola has worked alongside Protect & Prepare for 3 years, developing and delivering online and face to face educational programmes. She provides access into Higher Education in the UK and overseas and is currently developing a series of short courses around Multi-Agency Leadership within a Countering Terrorism context along with designing a new PG course with the team.
Nicola is currently Director of Education for Ahead in Sport and she is a mentor for, ‘Women in Football’ and her role is to support and guide aspiring women in professional football roles to achieve success across the global football industry. She is currently an Associate Lecturer at University of Liverpool and is regularly invited to deliver guest lectures at academic institutions and sporting/governing organisations. She is also a Professional Fellow at the Asia Pacific Institute for Event Management and a Partner at the Association for Sporting Directors.
Scott Wilson
A highly proficient counter terrorism specialist consulting at governmental level, demonstrates exceptional leadership, organisational ability and intellectual capability. Between 2014 and 2018 as a Det Chief Superintendent, Scott Wilson was the National Co-ordinator for Protect and Prepare under the CONTEST strategy, based at the National Counter Terrorism headquarters at New Scotland Yard. Scott previously was a senior Investigating Officer with extensive working knowledge in homicide and counter terrorism investigations having led over 50 murder and Counter Terrorism enquiries. As a SO15 (Counter Terrorism Command) Senior Investigation Officer and former head of Scotland Yard SO15 forensic management team, he is experienced in bomb scene management and DVI.
In 2010 as a Detective Chief Superintendent, he was appointed head of Emergency Preparedness, Business Continuity, CBRE and DVI for the Metropolitan Police. In 2012, he led the MPS as Bronze Commander for the London Olympic Games. Responsible for multi-agency emergency planning for all 26 sporting venues and delivery of the testing and exercising programme.
He led on National policing for the Protect and Prepare strand of the UK Government CONTEST strategy; tasked to reduce the risk to the UK, and overseas interests, reducing vulnerability and mitigating the impact of terrorist attacks. He provided strategic oversight of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office and the national network of Counter Terrorism Security Advisors. He led policing response to high-risk threats; working with partners to build resilience within the critical national infrastructure and develop strategies and capability to assist post-incident recovery. He regularly attended UK Government COBR advising officials and Ministers on protective security within policing. Strategic police lead for International Protect and Prepare with teams working worldwide.
Scott has delivered training at a number of educational and police academies worldwide together with conferences in the USA, Norway, France, New Delhi, Qatar. Tanzania and Oman on a wide range of subjects inc Counter Terrorism, Scene Management, CBRNe and Strategic Crisis Management.
In February 2019 he was appointed as the Subject Matter Expert in relation to the Police Response and Counter Terrorism for the Manchester Public Inquiry working to the chair of the enquiry Sir John Saunders until January 2022. In 2023 together with a retired FBI agent Scott was appointed as the Policing subject matter expert to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch Terrorist attack in New Zealand in March 2019. In addition, Scott has maintained a consistent, diplomatic and constructive media presence within the UK and Globally.
Scott has a Master Degree in Critical Incident Management from Middlesex University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management. He is also a Senior Associate lecturer at the Cabinet Office Emergency Planning College. He is a graduate of the Leadership in Counter Terrorism (LinCT) Course completed at FBI Headquarters in Washington in 2015. In 2016 in San Diego, he was awarded the 9/11 International Police Medal for Counter Terrorism.