Rob Ford

Rob Ford is a Corporate Governance, Board Effectiveness and Transformation expert with over 25 years of experience working with boards of directors and senior executives. He has lived and worked in the Middle East since February 2009 and regularly travels across the region and internationally for consulting, training and projects.

Rob is Head of Governance and Professional Development at GCC Board Directors Institute. Up until November 2025, he was the Middle East Leader for Entity Governance & Compliance at PwC Legal Middle East. Prior to that, from 2017 - 2024, Rob headed his own corporate governance, advisory and training consultancy. Earlier in his career, Rob worked in Magic Circle and international law firms, the Big 4 and in-house for a large group under Dubai Holding.

He is a Fellow of The Chartered Governance Institute of UK & Ireland (CGIUKI) and Mentor for CGIUKI. Rob Chairs the CGIUKI MENA network and was a tutor for many of the CGIUKI’s Qualifying modules to help students obtain Chartered Governance Professional and Chartered Company Secretary status.

Rob holds a MA in Leading Innovation and Change with St John University (UK), a Post Graduate Diploma (Level 7) in Human Resources Management and Training with University of Leicester (UK), and a Diploma in Environment, Social and Governance with the Corporate Governance Institute (Ireland) together with certificates in The Board’s Role in Organisational Culture, Marketing and Public Relations.

He holds the Freedom of the City of London and is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Company Secretaries and Administrators (WCCSA). Rob is a member of the WCCSA Education Committee. He is also a Full Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and is a member of their Professional Development Committee.