"Raised by women in a warzone. Failed A-level student. Immigrant. These labels have been applied to me; and none of which I would use myself. My natural interests are people, ideas and planning. I have been shaped most by the people I have encountered, and I am indebted to them.
I passionately believe we are all ‘works in progress’; and that our potential is greater than we think. I look forward to learning more and meeting new people. My Christian faith provides the foundation for my values and being respectful to others is central to how I view the world.
Having travelled thousands of miles to the United Kingdom I met and married someone from my hometown. We have two fantastic children. I enjoy keeping in reasonable shape and this is now mainly through kayaking or cycling. I love watching rugby and sharing good coffee to compliment great conversation."
Peter left Zimbabwe at 18 to join the British Army and commissioned into the Royal Engineers a few years later. Service in Northern Ireland, Germany, Kosovo and Canada followed, as well as orchestrating emergency fire and rescue cover in Lancashire. As a major he worked in the MOD and the Army Headquarters before leading 31 Armoured Engineer Squadron on exercises in Germany and operations in Iraq. As deputy chief of staff for 4th Mechanised Brigade he deployed on exercises in the UK and Canada and operations in Afghanistan. Peter believes the team he worked with deserve the credit for the MBE he was awarded.
After the Advanced Command and Staff Course he spent two years writing concepts on the future of warfare and the Army. Commanding 32 Engineer Regiment initially in Hohne, Germany and then in Catterick, North Yorkshire included deploying elements of the Regiment to Canada, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, Germany, Spain and Kenya – not to mention the flood responses in North Yorkshire. Returning to the Army Headquarters in 2016 as a colonel he led a team driving forward the Army’s research and experimentation programme; robotic and autonomous systems and designing the Army of the future. He attended the Higher Command and Staff Course in 2018. He has recently been the head of profession for the Royal Engineers and the Commandant of the Royal School of Military Engineering Group. Since February 2022 he has been the Head of Concepts and Force Exploration in the Development Concepts and Doctrine Centre. He leads a multinational and joint team whose projects inform and influence UK defence policy, force design and capability development over the next decade and more.