Philip Robbins

General Counsel, X Cyber Group

Mr. Robbins recently left the British Government to take up the position of General Counsel and Compliance Officer of X Cyber Group, a highly-innovative cyber intelligence and security business founded by cyber experts from the UK’s law enforcement, defense and intelligence community.

For over 20 years, Mr. Robbins advised military commanders, senior officials and Secretaries of State on many of the most sensitive and challenging issues faced by the UK Government. From 2009 to 2019, he led the UK Government’s consideration of how, and to what extent, UK domestic and international legal frameworks regulate cyber activities in peacetime and conflict.

Mr. Robbins is a Visiting Fellow of Cranfield University in the field of cyber security and operations and has also supported UK Government programs such as the Diplomatic Academy, the Higher Command and Staff Course at the Defence Academy and the Defence Cyber School. He regularly represented the UK at international conferences and meetings. His particular interest is the intersection of Public International, International Humanitarian, International Human Rights and UK domestic criminal law in the context of State and non-State cyber activity.

Between 1999 and 2007, Mr. Robbins served as a Captain in the British Army and then a Squadron Leader in the Royal Air Force. These roles took him to Northern Ireland, the Balkans and to the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters, where he advised on active operations.

Mr. Robbins graduated with a BA(Hons) in Law and Politics and MSc(Econ) in Public Policy from Queen Mary College, University of London. Later, in private practice, Mr. Robbins undertook the Nottingham Law School programme to earn an LLM in Advanced Legal Practice.