Speaker details

Biography

Barney Thompson is a journalist, editor and author who spent 25 years in journalism, including roles at The Times and the Financial Times, before working in communications and advocacy for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. After reading Russian and French at university, he studied conducting at the St Petersburg Conservatory under the legendary teacher Ilya Musin. Together with Chris Rickaby, he writes historical crime fiction under the pen name Ben Creed; City of Ghosts, set in Leningrad in 1951, was named a Times Thriller of the Year and shortlisted for both the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger and John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger. Ben Creed's next book will appear in early 2028.