Colonel (Retd) Chris Sanderson OBE, JP, DL

Chris was brought up in Ambleside and Grasmere, and educated at Heversham Grammar School.

He returned to Cumbria in 2013 after a 30-year career in the Army and eight years providing risk management support to governments and international organisations working in challenging environments

In the not-for-profit field, Chris was influential in the development of professional and human rights standards for the UK and international private security industries, and was awarded an OBE in 2015 for his contribution to human rights, conflict prevention and the international private security industry.

More recently Chris has led Cumbria’s Army Benevolent Fund, Cumbria Scouts and Patterdale Mountain Rescue, and served as a Trustee for others, most notably Cumbria Community Foundation.

Chris has also sat as a Magistrate on the North and West Cumbria Bench. Chris lives with his partner, Francesca, and their two young children in Kentmere in the South Lakes.