Tony Thompson has a lifetime experience in disaster planning and response gained through service in the UK armed forces, police, Civil Service, British Red Cross and in the private sector. He is a former Chair of the Emergency Planning Society and currently Director of OTHO UK which provides consultancy and training in emergency preparedness. He is a member of the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committee for South West England (a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence), and a Fellow of the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management.