George Richards
Director
George Richards became the Director of Community Jameel in 2020, having previously led its strategy and cultural heritage functions since 2015.
Leading one of the world’s biggest private funders of scientific research, George advises a number of policy-focused research initiatives, including at Imperial College London and the Paris School of Economics, and most recently the COP28 UAE Declaration on Food and Agriculture, and the 2023 Summit for a New Global Financing Pact. He is a founding member of the advisory council of the Future Resilience Forum.
An established leader on cultural heritage protection, including in conflict zones, George has served as the Special Rapporteur for Cultural Heritage to the Kurdistan Regional Government and is a specialist assessor to the British Council's Cultural Protection Fund. He has led field expeditions to document endangered cultural heritage on behalf of the British Library and the British Institute for the Study of Iraq.
A qualified lawyer, George practised antitrust and competition law at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer until 2015. He is a trustee of The King's Foundation, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
George studied at the University of Edinburgh and took a First in Arabic and Persian in 2003. In 2022, he was selected for the University of Edinburgh’s ‘Climate 75’ list of 75 alumni leading climate action.
George has climbed to the summit of Jabal Sawda, the second-highest peak on the Arabian peninsula.
