Talisman International
Oxfordshire programme-management consultancy set up in 2021 by former UK ambassador Chris O'Connor and former special forces officer Chris Fisher; on CSSF framework Lots 1 and 3
| Talisman International Limited
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Private limited company |
| Founded | 21 December 2021 |
| Founder(s) | Chris O'Connor; Chris Fisher |
| Registration ID | Companies House 13811024 |
| Status | Active |
| Headquarters | First Floor, 1 Des Roches Square, Witan Way, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 4BE (registered office) |
| Services | Programme design, adaptation, "real-time evaluation" and analysis for government programmes |
| Key people | Christopher Paul O'Connor OBE (director); Christopher John Fisher MBE (director) |
| Website | talismaninternational.co.uk |
Talisman International (Talisman International Limited, Companies House no. 13811024) is a small consultancy registered in Witney, Oxfordshire. It was incorporated on 21 December 2021 with SIC code 70229 (management consultancy other than financial management).[1] Its two directors and equal owners are Chris O'Connor, a former British ambassador to Tunisia, and Chris Fisher. The company says Fisher was "a UK Special Forces commander in Afghanistan".[2] Talisman is a supplier on Lots 1 and 3 of the 2023–27 Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) framework, where it is listed as "Talisman (Oxford)".[3][4] CSSF programme summaries name it as the "commercial partner" for maritime security consultancy in the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean programmes.
Revolving door
Talisman is an example of the revolving door between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the private contractors that deliver its conflict and security programmes. Its directors' official backgrounds are as follows:
- Chris O'Connor (Christopher Paul O'Connor OBE, born 18 December 1968) was British Ambassador to Tunisia from 2008 to 2013, then Consul-General in Los Angeles from 2013 to 2017.[5] In October 2012 the FCO announced that Hamish Cowell would succeed "Mr Christopher Paul O’Connor" in Tunis in July 2013.[6] Talisman's website adds that he was "deputy UK Ambassador to Lebanon" and led "a specialist UK government team to develop pathways to peace in the Middle East".[2] The Companies House birth month and year (December 1968) match his Wikipedia entry.
- Chris Fisher (Christopher John Fisher MBE, born October 1975). The company says he has "a wealth of experience at the strategic and operational level within the UK MOD, including as a UK Special Forces commander in Afghanistan and Director of Strategic Leadership at the UK Defence Academy", and that he "acted as a senior advisor to the UN’s Ebola Response".[2] These are the company's own claims and have not been independently confirmed. His honour has not been checked against the London Gazette.
Before Talisman International, the two men were designated members of Talisman Group LLP (OC431367). It was registered on 2 April 2020 at The Old Chapel, Union Way, Witney OX28 6HD, and dissolved on 28 February 2023. Its third member was Fisher's company Aequi Libra Limited (11056552; incorporated 9 November 2017, dissolved 9 July 2024). By the time Aequi Libra was dissolved, its registered office was in the care of KRE Corporate Recovery Limited, Reading.[7] Talisman International's own registered office was at 264 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7DY until 20 September 2022. It was then at The Old Chapel, Union Way, Witney until 6 November 2023, when it moved to Des Roches Square.[1] The website still in use carries logos hosted on a "talismanllp.com" domain.[2]
CSSF and other UK government work
Bay of Bengal Maritime Security Pilot (2022–23)
The FCDO-led CSSF Bay of Bengal Maritime Security Pilot ran from April 2022 to March 2023, with £0.2m ODA and £0.9m non-ODA. It lists "Maritime Security Consultancy Support" with Talisman International as the "Commercial Partner", worth £0.05m non-ODA. The other components went to the UNODC Global Maritime Crime Programme, "Torchlight Group/Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)" and the Royal Navy Maritime Domain Awareness Team.[8]
Indian Ocean Maritime Security Programme (2023–25)
The successor CSSF Indian Ocean Maritime Security (IOMS) Programme runs from April 2023 to March 2025, with a 2023–24 budget of £1.5m, all non-ODA. Its countries are Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and the British Indian Ocean Territory. For the "Deepening Security Cooperation" component (Regional Maritime Security Centre of Excellence and Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative, forum enablement, gender research, climate security), the summary lists King’s College, London (KCL), the National Maritime Foundation (India) and "Talisman International Limited" as implementers. That component's 2023–24 budget is £0.35m.[9]
FCDO payments
| Date | Expense type (as published) | Amount (£) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 April 2024 | Project Management | 26,038.00 |
| 14 May 2024 | Project Management | 31,570.00 |
| Total | 57,608.00 |
[10] No Contracts Finder award to Talisman has been found. Payments below £25,000 are not published, so the total above is a minimum.
Finances
Talisman files micro-entity accounts. For the year to 31 December 2025 it reported net assets of £2,392 (2024: £1,968), two employees, and creditors due within one year of £79,210 (2024: £237,310). No profit and loss account was filed.[1]
People
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Residence (as registered) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Paul O'Connor | Director; PSC (25–50% shares and votes) | 21 December 2021 | December 1968 | Canada |
| Christopher John Fisher | Director; PSC (25–50% shares and votes) | 21 December 2021 | October 1975 | England |
[1] The register shows both men appointed, removed and reappointed on 21 December 2021. The reason is not stated.
Candidate director pages: Chris O'Connor (1968) and Chris Fisher (1975).
Gaps
- No Contracts Finder or Find a Tender call-off notices for Talisman have been found, so the work behind the 2024 payments is unidentified.
- Fisher's military and Defence Academy career is self-reported. His MBE has not been checked in the London Gazette.
- The Bay of Bengal and IOMS summaries do not give Talisman's own contract value.
See also
- Revolving door
- Category:UK Revolving Door
- Conflict, Stability and Security Fund
- Category:CSSF Contractors
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Companies House, TALISMAN INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, company number 13811024 GOV.UK, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Talisman, Navigating Complexity Talisman International, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) Framework Agreement (2023-2027): contract award notice 029743-2023 Find a Tender Service, 9 October 2023.
- ↑ BidStats, Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) (2023): award notice summary BidStats, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Wikipedia, Chris O'Connor (diplomat) Wikipedia, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Change of Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Tunisia GOV.UK, 25 October 2012.
- ↑ Companies House, TALISMAN GROUP LLP, OC431367 and AEQUI LIBRA LIMITED, 11056552 GOV.UK, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, Bay of Bengal Maritime Security Pilot Programme Summary 2022 to 2023 GOV.UK, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, Indian Ocean Maritime Security Programme Summary 2023 to 2024 GOV.UK, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Foreign and Commonwealth Office, FCO departmental spending over £25,000 GOV.UK, 2010–2020; Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO: departmental spending over £25,000 GOV.UK, 2020–2025.