Henry Severs

Henry Severs is an accomplished international development professional with 12+ years experience developing creative solutions to the world's most exigent challenges.

Henry has worked on behalf of public, private, intergovernmental, and not-for-profit clients to provide technical expertise spanning a range of governance, security and stability challenges faced in fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCAS) . He has an academic and practitioner specialisms in transnational counter-terrorism (CT) and preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE); combatting human trafficking, and preventing child sexual exploitation.

Henry has extensive experience, at the bilateral and multilateral level, on both the delivery and donor-side, affording unique insights to the design, implementation, and evaluation of large and complex programs. He is able to build stakeholder relationships, forge new strategic partnerships, and motivate globally dispersed delivery teams to hit milestones, realise deliverables, and achieve transformational change.

Henry is a Senior Manager at Adam Smith International (ASI) within the firm's Governance Practice, seconded to the company's Asia-Pacific division, responsible for strategic partnerships, business growth, and thought leadership in Asia-Pacific. He is the Programme Director for Maldives and Myanmar portfolios and chairs ASI's Indo-Pacific Working Group.

Previously, Henry was the Technical Adviser for the UK's £19m Cross-border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) program, supporting a cross-faculty research team from King's College London to deliver operational research to government audiences, and the P/CVE Practice Manager for a boutique consultancy firm, with technical and programmatic oversight of a £5m global portfolio spanning MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Eastern Europe

UNODC x GCTF Workshop

Effective Counterterrorism Practice in Southeast Asia Whilst Respecting Human Rights and the Rule of Law

UNODC x FCO Workshop:

Advanced Analysis of Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Networks

Before consulting, Henry worked for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (née FCO) in Southeast Asia, supporting multiagency efforts to combat human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and child sexual exploitation networks in the region, and later was responsible for a £17+m development portfolio in Thailand.

Henry has also worked for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Counterterrorism Programme for Southeast Asia, building the capacity of ASEAN member states to more effectively criminalise, investigate, prosecute and adjudicate terrorism offenses. He has also conducted research and analysis for the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR).

Currently, Henry is a PhD Candidate and a UKRI Future Leaders scholarship recipient within the Transformation of Transatlantic Counter-Terrorism program at the University of Bath. His research examines the closer integration of the UK’s international aid, trade, and security policies in pursuit of P/CVE objectives overseas. Henry holds a Masters with Distinction in Terrorism Security and Society from King's College London, receiving the Kings-WCOSP Postgraduate Essay Prize for his analysis of al-Qaeda's Western media strategy. Henry also holds First Class Honours bachelors degree in Criminology and Social Policy from the University of Sheffield, receiving the Vaughan Bevan Prize for his research in secondary victimisation amongst refugee sex workers.

King's College London Postgraduate Prize Winner