Rachel Briggs is the Director of Hostage UK, and author of The Kidnapping Business. As Hostage UK’s Director, Rachel oversees the day-to-day running of the organisation.

Rachel runs Hostage UK part-time, and combines this role with a post at the think tank, RUSI, where she is a Senior Research Fellow. She writes, researches and advises government, companies and the voluntary sector on a range of security-related issues. A selection of her reports and articles can be accessed via www.rusi.org/rachelbriggs . She is also a Senior Honorary Research Associate at UCL.

Rachel was formerly Head of International Strategy and Head of the Identity Programme at Demos, and before that ran the Risk and Security Programme at The Foreign Policy Centre. She writes and comments regularly in the press, and has advised a number of companies and Government departments. She is on the editorial board of the journal Renewal, is a member of the Advisory Board of Wilton Park (an executive agency of the FCO) and is on the Council of the Risk and Security Management Forum.

“My uncle was kidnapped in Colombia while I was studying at University so I know first-hand how frightening an experience this can be for a family member. Hostage UK is able provide the kind of support that my family didn’t receive but which would have made life a lot easier at what was a very difficult time for us all."