Ed Butler (British Army officer)
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Ed Butler | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 February 1962 |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1984−2008 |
| Rank | Brigadier |
| Service number | 520039 |
| Unit | Royal Green Jackets |
| Commands | 22 Special Air Service 16 Air Assault Brigade Task Force Helmand |
| Battles / wars | The Troubles Bosnian War Sierra Leone Civil War War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order |
Brigadier Edward Adam Butler CBE DSO (born 27 February 1962) is a former British Army officer who commanded Task Force Helmand, and serves as Prime Warden Goldsmith for 2025/26.[1]
The younger son of the Rt Hon. Sir Adam Butler DL MP and Felicity Molesworth-St Aubyn, his grandfather was the prominent Conservative politician "Rab" Butler (later Lord Butler of Saffron Walden KG).[2]
Butler was educated at Eton College[2] before going up to read Politics and International Relations at the University of Exeter (graduating BA in 1983).[3] He later pursued postgraduate studies at Cranfield University (taking an MA in 2003).[4]
Military career
In August 1984, Butler was commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets.[5] He was mentioned in dispatches while on active service in Northern Ireland in November 1991[6] and twice received the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service; first for his service in the former Republic of Yugoslavia in the autumn of 1997[7] and again for his service in Sierra Leone in summer 2000.[8]
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his actions in Afghanistan as the Commanding Officer of 22 Special Air Service during 2001 and 2002.[9][10] He became Commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade in 2004, in which role he was deployed as Commander of Task Force Helmand in April 2006.[11] He went on to be Chief, Joint Force Operations at Permanent Joint Headquarters in December 2006 before retiring in December 2008, citing family reasons.[12]
After leaving the British Army Butler became Chief Executive of Corporates for Crisis (2008−11), a business providing advice for companies operating in difficult places,[13] and then Chairman of and latterly Senior Advisor to S-RM,[14] an intelligence and risk consulting business.[15] In July 2019 he was interviewed for a BBC Radio 4 Analysis programme, as Head of Risk Analysis (Chief Resilience Officer) at Pool Re, working there until 2022.[16][17] Since 2016 Butler has served as a Senior Independent Advisor to EDF Energy Nuclear Generation, and as a Senior Advisor to reinsurance brokers Northcourt Ltd[18] and Gallos Technologies since 2022.[19]
Personal life
Butler and his wife, Sophie,[20] have two children:[21]
- Robin, born 1994;
- Octavia, born 1996.
His family descends in the male line from Sir Philip Butler MP (1489−1545), progenitor of the Barons Boteler.[22]
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