Richard has held Chief Executive and senior positions at national, regional and local levels. He has been Head of Health Studies at York University, following a similar appointment at Sheffield Hallam University, where he was also Professor of Public Health.
He is a consultant to the World Health Organisation and other international agencies. He has extensive experience of public speaking and has been a keynote speaker at numerous global conferences.
He currently holds various Honorary and Non-Executive positions such as Chair and Trustee of the National No Smoking Day Organisation, Honorary NHS Consultant, NE Essex PCT and Visiting Professor in Health Development at Anglia Ruskin University.
He is the author or co-author of over 60 publications, including 11 book chapters. Many of these papers are WHO papers that have been refereed by WHO Expert Groups.