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Robert Barrington

Professor of Anti-Corruption Practice,
University of Sussex

Corruption, Transparency & Integrity in Finance
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Robert Barrington is Professor of Anti-Corruption Practice at the Centre for the Study of Corruption in the University of Sussex.  He was formerly the head of Transparency International (TI) in the UK, the world’s leading anti-corruption NGO, and is currently Chair of TI’s International Council.

At TI, he led the campaigns to secure the Bribery Act, a national Anti-Corruption Strategy for the UK and the introduction of Unexplained Wealth Orders. He was previously Director of Governance & Sustainable Investment at F&C Asset Management, and CEO (Europe) of the environmental research group Earthwatch Institute.

Robert is a member of the ICAEW’s Corporate Governance Committee, and UK government advisory roles have included membership of the Ministry of Justice’s expert group drafting the official guidance on the Bribery Act, the BEIS Export Guarantees Advisory Committee and the Cabinet Office’s post-Brexit Procurement Transformation Advisory Panel.

Robert has been a long-term adviser to the UK government on subjects including the Bribery Act, export credits, the post-Brexit procurement regime and Free Trade Agreements, and has served on multiple boards and advisory committees ranging from The Environment Council to the World Economic Forum’s Global Futures Council on Good Governance.  

He is Deputy Chair of the Taskforce on Business Ethics and the Legal Profession convened by the Institute for Business Ethics.  He writes extensively in the media and appears as an expert commentator on major news and current affairs programmes including BBC Radio 4 Today, BBC World Service, Sky News, Al-Jazeera and LBC.  Publications include a ‘Dictionary of Corruption’, ‘Understanding Corruption’, ‘How to Bribe’ and ‘Adequate Procedures – Guidance to the UK Bribery Act’.

He is currently researching a comprehensive overview of corruption in the UK due for publication in 2026.  He holds an undergraduate degree from Oxford University and a PhD from the European University Institute.

 Board Memebership & Advisory Committees

  • Cabinet Office, Procurement Transparency Advisory Panel (2019-2021)
  • Transparency International, Chair, International Council (2020-present)
  • International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN), Advisor on revision of Anti-Corruption Guidance (2019-20)
  • Transparency International: global board (elected, 2017-2019)
  • Lord Mayor’s Trust Advisory Group (2017-18)
  • ICAEW Corporate Governance Committee (2016-present)
  • Royal United Services Institute, CFCS Advisory Committee (2015-2017)
  • Member, Ministry of Justice Experts’ Group on Bribery Act Guidance (2010)
  • BEIS Export Guarantees Advisory Council (Ministerial appointment, 2006-9)
  • Multiple other boards and advisory committees including The Environment Council, Global Reporting Initiative, UNEP-FI Natural Value Initiative, Oxford Brookes University, various Earthwatch and TI global committees.

corruption

Understanding Corruption: How Corruption Works in Practice

Corruption is known to be a complex problem, and understanding corruption in its many forms and global reach is the work of many years. This books tells the story of how corruption happens in practice, illustrated through detailed case studies of the many different types of corruption that span the globe.

Written by an expert team, each case study follows a tried and tested analytical approach to understand the different forms of corruption (bribery, political corruption, kleptocracy and corrupt capital) and how to tackle them.

With an emphasis on the harm such corruption causes, its victims, and where it has been tackled successfully, the authors draw lessons from the case studies to build a picture of the global threat that corruption poses and the responses that have been most effective.

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Robert Barrington