Richard Villar

Richard Villar is a world-renowned orthopaedic surgeon specialising in disaster and conflict medicine. With a career spanning over thirty countries, he has provided critical surgical care in some of the most challenging environments on Earth. Formerly the Regimental Medical Officer to the SAS and a long-standing Team Leader for the UK’s Disaster Response, he has directed surgical teams during the aftermath of major earthquakes in Haiti, Java, Kashmir and the Philippines. Beyond natural disasters, he has operated extensively as a war surgeon in Lebanon, Gaza and Libya, and has collaborated with the World Health Organization across the Eastern Mediterranean including Somalia, Sudan and Afghanistan. His extraordinary experiences include rescuing avalanche victims from the North Face of Mount Everest and conducting complex medical operations for Bedouin fighters. A prolific author and member of the British Guild of Travel Writers, he has documented his frontline service in acclaimed books such as Winged Scalpel and Knife Edge. He is also a regular contributor to national publications including The Spectator and The Telegraph, sharing his unique perspective on human endurance and medical innovation under fire. Richard translates decades of experience in high-stakes environments into lessons on team management and resilience. He is sought after for his ability to demonstrate how the rigorous principles of military and disaster medicine can be applied to enhance leadership and performance in the modern professional world. On stage, Richard Villar is best known for talks on Science, Resilience and Peak Performance. Audiences leave with a clear, practical view of the subject rather than a generic overview — every keynote is shaped around the brief and the room. Richard Villar is regularly booked for Motivational Speaker and Business Speaker, adapting tone, length and format to suit the event — from a 20-minute opener to a full conference keynote with Q&A. To check availability or request a tailored brief for your event, send an enquiry and we'll come back with fees, dates and a short summary of how Richard Villar would approach your audience.