Chris Curling DL

Member since 2004

Chris Curling's career has been in law and business. A corporate finance lawyer, he led the development of Osborne Clarke over 15 years as Chief Executive and then Executive Chairman, as the firm changed from a Bristol-based provincial firm into a national and international law practice, with offices throughout Europe and in Silicon Valley. He has also sat on the Boards of a range of listed and private companies, including Bristol Water plc.

He has been Chair of several environmental bodies, including Wildscreen, the External Advisory Board of Bristol University’s Cabot Institute for the Environment, and Sustrans. He was for six years a Trustee of Avon Wildlife Trust (AWT) and he is Chair of the board of Folly Farm Centre, the trading subsidiary of AWT which is an environmental education centre and weddings and conference venue. He is a Deputy Lieutenant for the City and County of Bristol and is a Vice-President of Quartet Community Foundation. Chris is a former member of the governing body of Bristol University and past President of the Dolphin Society. He has an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from UWE for his environmental and education work in the West Country.

Within the Society of Merchant Venturers he is a Past Master (year of office 2014/15) and was for nine years Chair of the Society's Education Committee, which had high-level oversight of all the Society's education responsibilities. He then led the strategic initiative which resulted in the transition of the Society's work for young people from schools' governance to the support of enrichment and lifeskills opportunities.