Lord Houghton

Lord Houghton's appointment as Chief of the Defence Staff - the professional head of the British Armed Forces - was the culmination of a 42-year career in the British Army. He has extensive experience of Germany, Northern Ireland and Iraq.

Following school, General Nick Houghton joined the Army aged 18, passing Sandhurst where he commissioned into the Green Howards. He subsequently completed an in-Service degree in Modern History at St Peter’s College, Oxford. General Houghton was both a Company Commander in, and Commanding Officer of, the 1st Battalion in the Mechanised and Air Mobile Roles and in Northern Ireland, serving seven times. He was awarded the US Legion of Merit for his service as the Deputy Commander of the Multi-National Force Iraq in 2005-6.

He then became Chief of Joint Operations at Permanent Joint Headquarters and served as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff before being appointed Chief of the Defence Staff in 2013. During his time on the Defence Council, he oversaw two Strategic Defence Reviews and the end of combat operations in Afghanistan. Following his retirement from the Army in 2016, General Houghton became the 160th Constable of the Tower of London.

Lord Houghton has subsequently established his own consultancy company which specialises in giving strategic advice to multinational corporates. He also advises a number of technical start-ups.

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