Andrew Cummings
British former civil servant (HM Treasury, Home Office, and Head of Middle East and North Africa in the Cabinet Office's National Security Council secretariat, 2009–2011); later a consultant at Adam Smith International, named as project director of a 2015 Iraq counter-extremism communications bid; now a Dubai-based estate agent with Savills
| Andrew Cummings
| |
|---|---|
| Image |  LinkedIn profile photograph |
| Nationality | British |
| Residence | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Occupation | Former civil servant; management consultant; estate agent |
| Known for | Head of Middle East and North Africa, National Security Council, Cabinet Office (2009–2011); Adam Smith International (2012–2017); Head of Residential Agency – Middle East, Savills (from 2024) |
| Education | University of Leeds (BSc (Hons) Biochemistry, 2000–2003; MA Terrorism and Security, 2004–2005) |
Andrew Cummings is a British former civil servant. He worked at HM Treasury and the Home Office, and from April 2009 to October 2011 was Head of Middle East and North Africa, National Security Council, at the Cabinet Office.[1][2] He then worked for Adam Smith International from 2012 to 2017. In August 2015 he was named as project director of a consortium bid by Adam Smith International, M&C Saatchi and ORB International for UK-funded counter-extremism communications in Iraq.[1][3] Since 2017 he has worked in Dubai real estate, and since January 2024 he has been Head of Residential Agency – Middle East at Savills.[1][4]
Career
His LinkedIn profile lists the following posts:[1]
| Dates | Post | Employer | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2005 – November 2006 | Policy Adviser | UK Government | |
| November 2006 – April 2008 | Senior Policy Adviser | HM Treasury | |
| April 2008 – April 2009 | Head of Strategy | Home Office | |
| April 2009 – October 2011 | Head of Middle East and North Africa, National Security Council | Cabinet Office | |
| November 2011 – September 2012 | Strategy Adviser | Independent consultant | |
| September 2012 – March 2016 | Principal | Adam Smith International | London |
| April 2016 – October 2017 | Head of Gulf Practice | Adam Smith International | Dubai |
| November 2017 – June 2021 | Co-Founder & Managing Director | Luxury Property LLC (LuxuryProperty.com) | Dubai |
| November 2021 – December 2023 | Partner, Head of Prime Residential | Knight Frank | Dubai |
| January 2024 – present | Head of Residential Agency – Middle East | Savills Middle East | Dubai |
Government career
Cummings joined the civil service as a policy adviser in October 2005. He moved to HM Treasury as a senior policy adviser in November 2006, and in April 2008 to the Home Office as Head of Strategy. From April 2009 to October 2011 he was Head of Middle East and North Africa, National Security Council, at the Cabinet Office. His profile says that in this post he "Acted as an adviser to two Prime Ministers on all matters pertaining to the Middle East, North Africa and North America".[1]
His Guardian contributor profile, attached to a January 2012 comment piece titled "A covert campaign is the only way to stop Iran's nuclear ambitions", describes him as "formerly an adviser on the Middle East and US affairs in the UK cabinet office national security staff".[2] In a 2024 podcast interview he described working at the Treasury on counter-terrorism and then at 10 Downing Street for the Prime Minister, where he led on North Africa and North America for the National Security Council.[5] Consultancy-me.com reported that he spent six years working for the UK government.[4]
The 2015 consortium proposal described him as "a former Head of PREVENT Strategy in OSCT and Head of Middle East in National Security Secretariat".[3] The Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT) was the Home Office directorate responsible for counter-terrorism strategy, including Prevent. His Cabinet Office post sat within the Cabinet Office's National Security Council structure, which the National Security Secretariat supports. The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) lists both the National Security Secretariat in the Cabinet Office and OSCT in the Home Office (now Homeland Security Group) among the bodies of the UK intelligence community.[6][7] His LinkedIn profile gives his Home Office post (April 2008 to April 2009) as "Head of Strategy", without naming OSCT or Prevent.[1]
Consultancy
From November 2011 to September 2012 he worked as an independent strategy adviser, providing "Strategic counsel and advisory to government clients and UHNWIs".[1] Spear's says that "after a stint as an adviser to the King of Bahrain, he shifted from diplomacy to real estate".[8]
He joined Adam Smith International in London as a Principal in September 2012, "Responsible for business development and project management of a portfolio of Government and Economic Reform programmes across the Middle East, Asia and Africa". From April 2016 to October 2017 he was its Head of Gulf Practice in Dubai, "Responsible for all projects, business development and operations across the GCC Region".[1] In the 2024 interview he said that, as a management consultant, he worked in countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Libya and Tunisia.[5]
2015 Iraq counter-extremism proposal
On 17 August 2015, while Cummings was a Principal at Adam Smith International, a consortium of Adam Smith International, M&C Saatchi and ORB International submitted a technical proposal for "Countering Violent Extremism (C-VE) in Iraq – Strategic Communications", addressed to the British government's "ISIL Taskforce". It named Cummings as project director and M&C Saatchi's Paul Smyth as team leader. Both men were to "provide leadership and oversight of a team of exclusively Iraqi experts based in Baghdad".[3] The proposal included a "disinformation" strand; see M&C Saatchi. The document does not show whether the bid succeeded.
Real estate
From November 2017 to June 2021 Cummings was co-founder and managing director of Luxury Property LLC (LuxuryProperty.com) in Dubai. From November 2021 to December 2023 he was a partner and Head of Prime Residential at Knight Frank in Dubai.[1] In January 2024 he joined Savills as Head of Residential Agency – Middle East, overseeing the residential business across seven regional offices: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.[1][4][8]
Education
He studied at the University of Leeds, gaining a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry (2000–2003) and an MA in Terrorism and Security (2004–2005).[1]
See also
- Adam Smith International
- M&C Saatchi
- Paul Smyth
- National Security Secretariat
- Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism
- Revolving Door
Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Andrew Cummings, Andrew Cummings – Head of Residential Agency – Middle East, Savills LinkedIn (Cummings-side), accessed 22 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Guardian, Andrew Cummings The Guardian, contributor profile, accessed 22 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Adam Smith International, M&C Saatchi and ORB International, Technical Proposal: Countering Violent Extremism (C-VE) in Iraq – Strategic Communications, 17 August 2015, PDF p. 3, accessed 22 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Consultancy-me.com, Savills brings in rainmaker Andrew Cummings for residential push Consultancy-me.com, 22 January 2024, accessed 22 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Real Ones with Joel Alexander, What he learned from working on 10 Downing Street ft. Andrew Cummings YouTube, 11 July 2024, accessed 22 October 2026.
- ↑ Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, Annual Report 2016–2017 Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, HC 655, December 2017, p. 2, accessed 22 October 2026.
- ↑ Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, How the Committee works: Remit Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, accessed 22 October 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Spear's, Andrew Cummings Spear's 500, accessed 22 October 2026.