CT Group appoints Jules Irens as Director
CT Group today announces the appointment of Jules Irens as Director, based in London.
Jules joins CT Group bringing more than three decades of experience across diplomacy, defence, and conflict resolution. He will focus on developing new client relationships and expanding CT Group’s advisory work across the geopolitical theatres which has provided the backdrop to most of his career – Europe, Turkey, the Middle East and Asia.
Jules said: “The world is more volatile and contested than at any point in my career. Governments and businesses are navigating challenges that cut across borders, institutions and sectors simultaneously. CT Group combines rigorous analysis with the kind of strategic judgement that produces real outcomes for clients. I am delighted to be joining the team.”
Jules joins CT Group following 24 years as a senior diplomat with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. His postings took him to Brussels, Istanbul, Geneva and Kathmandu, where he served most recently as Regional Political Officer covering South Asia.
Before joining the Foreign Office, Jules worked for the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, headquartered in Geneva. His career began in the military. He served first in the French Colonial Parachute Regiment before being commissioned into the British Army’s Brigade of Gurkhas. He served in Hong Kong, Nepal, Australia, Northern Ireland, Brunei, India, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Canada.
Jules is a dual British-French national. He is bilingual in French, fluent in Nepali, and has working knowledge of Turkish, Indonesian and Spanish.
James Baxendale, Group Managing Director – UK, Europe and Africa for CT Group, said: “Jules has spent his career in the rooms where consequential decisions are made – from peace negotiations in Southeast Asia to senior advisory roles at the UN and the Ministry of Defence. He brings an exceptional depth of geopolitical judgement, a rare combination of regional expertise, and the kind of relationships that only come from decades of operating at the highest levels. He is a significant addition to CT Group.”
