Robert Barton

Experience

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  British Army

  Sept 1976 - Aug 1984

  The Royal Highland Fusiliers

  Three tour Infantry Platoon Commander, encompassing Regimental duty in Edinburgh, BAOR and Northern Ireland. Followed by full tour as a Demonstration Platoon Commander at The Infantry Demonstration Battalion Warminster, and then as a Training Platoon Commander at The Scottish Infantry Depot (Glencorse). Qualified Jungle Warfare Instructor (Hong Kong and Brunei)

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  Professional Executive Recruitment PER (Maxwell Publications) Glasgow

  Jan 1988 - Jan 1990

  Search Consultant

  Responsible for executive search and selection throughout Scotland promoting recruitment services at director level. Within the first six months, I set up an agency arm in Glasgow from scratch, which went on to become the most profitable part of the northern division. Headhunted by AEA shortly before Robert Maxwell asset-stripped the company - a seamless transition and at the time a welcome move.

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  AEA Edinburgh Ltd

  Jan 1990 - Jul 1995

  Director

  Accountable for the running and profitability of the sales, marketing and financial services divisions across the UK. Progressed from senior consultant to divisional manager to main board director of AEA, and its sister company Business Staff Appointments Ltd.

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  RBA Search

  Jul 1995 - Jan 2023

  Director Executive Search

  RBA Search was a highly successful search practice for 27 years. From January 2011 we were the recruitment partner for Oxford University Innovation (OUI), the world-leading technology transfer company owned by the University of Oxford and named 'Global University Venturing Technology Transfer Unit of the Year' several times. Appointments were made across the life and physical sciences and SSHA disciplines, with other assignments including key roles with Oxentia, as well as for OUI's Consulting Services, and the Marketing, HR, Finance, Investment & New Ventures, and Operations teams.Other technology transfer projects included work for Cambridge Enterprise and UCLB, the technology transfer offices for the University of Cambridge and University College London respectively. In addition, commercial-facing roles were completed with several Oxford University spin-outs, including Velocys, Oxford Advanced Surfaces and Oxford Flow. Special commissioned projects included search assignments for club executives for the globally-recognised and iconic brands of the Vintage Sports-Car Club and the Bugatti Owners' Club.We also worked with Cadence Consultancy from 2014 to its sale in November 2020 to the Calian Group in the delivery of search and recruitment advice to projects focused on defence training, security force assistance, and international development. This exposure naturally sat well with the third sector where we supported a number of global charities with a range of business services, including the use of Thomas International psychometrics.Between 2007 and 2013 we were the outsourced recruitment team for Metro Rod, a BFA registered franchise network of over 60 franchisees, and continued to provide psychometric support right up to the end of trading.As a commitment to the Armed Forces we supported Combat Stress, the veterans' mental health charity, and were also signatories to the Armed Forces Covenant. Show less

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  REACT Disaster Response

  May 2021 - now

  International Responder

  RE:ACT is a domestic and international disaster response charity specialising in high tempo, dynamic and complex emergencies and crises. They deploy highly trained Response Teams in the field and on the ground where they can make the greatest difference.RE:ACT Responders apply military expertise in planning and problem solving, collaborating with humanitarian partners to rapidly develop and share situational awareness, identify critical gaps in the response and fill those gaps in the fastest time possible with the most effective solutions.Qualified in Medicine In Remote Areas (MIRA) Show less

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  CampaignForce

  Feb 2023 - Mar 2024

  Voluntary Advisory Board

  CampaignForce was set up by Jonny Ball VR with a mission to inspire, train and coach those who have served, and to stand up and serve again. We worked with people from the military community who aspired to be elected or wanted to work professionally in public life. This was aimed at positively disrupting the status quo in UK politics for the benefit of the Armed Forces community.