Major-General Andrew Mackay CBE (Rtd.) is a former British Army officer, who rose to the rank of Commander of the 2nd Division and Governor of Edinburgh Castle. Major-General Mackay has served in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan. Awarded a CBE for his time as Commander of the British and Coalition forces in Helmand in 2008 during which they recaptured the strategic town of Musa Qaleh which was described as “the best thing to come out of Afghanistan for years” by the Pentagon. Retiring in 2010, Major-General Mackay has since been the author of a number of books and papers addressing both his time in the British Army and his experiences and thoughts on military and conflict. This includes Behavioural Conflict – Why understanding people and their motivation will prove decisive in future conflict. A BBC radio documentary about his personal perspective on Afghanistan will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 25 November 2014.
Major-General Mackay is the cofounder and director of Complexas, a leading specialist advisory and development company focused on Africa.
