Chris Bell CBE
Senior Advisory Leader
Trusted Partner
Capstar Advisers
London
Chris is passionate about purpose, people, and partnerships. He became a Partner at Capstar to leverage a lifetime of diverse, high-stakes communications and leadership experience to help individuals and teams achieve their goals. It’s never better than seeing clients exceed even their own highest expectations.
Chris is a former Associate Partner at KPMG, where he delivered major transformation strategies in the Middle East. He is also a Senior Adviser to Capsule, a fast-growing insurance business for scale-ups. With over 25 years of expertise, he is a clear-sighted, dynamic, charismatic senior leader and communications specialist.
Chris was also once a Major General in the British Army with a track record of exceptional operational delivery, ambitious strategy formulation, and the realisation of benefits from inventive, inclusive, major change programs.
Chris has a stellar track record that he now puts to work for Capstar clients, including advice on large corporate transactions and crucial investor communications. Chris is particularly interested in and experienced with Private Equity and portfolio company communications. At KPMG, he delivered his fourth and fifth multi-million-USD global change programs in the last 10 years while leading the day-to-day management of resources, utilisation, people matters, performance, L&D, and recruiting for Advisory.
Chris' favourite moments as a Partner at Capstar are always the same. Helping management teams tell their story well and then watching them grow from taking tentative first steps through often unfamiliar processes, to confident strides with investor audiences and achieving high-value outcomes.
When not at work, Chris can be found at home in Scotland, spending time with his family, sea swimming, or running up and down Munros.
Chris Bell's Experience
February 2021 - present
Partner at Capstar Advisers
September 2023 - present
Senior Adviser at Capsule
November 2023 - November 2025
Principal (Associate Partner) at KPMG
September 2023 - September 2024
Senior Adviser at One Search Ltd
2019 – 2021
CEO - Major General Commanding Army Recruiting and Training
2018 - 2019
Director - British Army Talent Transformation Programme
2016 - 2018
CEO - Army Digital Communications Group. From start up to scale up within 18 months
2013 - 2015
Commanding Officer - 1st Battalion Scots Guards
2010 - 2013
Private Secretary - Head of the British Army (Chief of the General Staff)
Chris Bell's Education
2017
UK Higher Command and Staff Course | Chartered Institute of Management Diploma and Membership
2007
US Army School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) | Masters Degree
2006
US Army Command and General Staff Course | Masters Degree
1991 - 1994
University of Oxford | Geography MA (Oxon)
Chris Bell's Interests
Professional
Strategy, major change programs, strategic communications, leadership, talent strategies, employee engagement and financial services (Private Equity)
Aspirational
Writing novels and screenplays
Occasionally dabbles with blogs
Personal
Family, environment, opportunity and society
Capstar Advisers
We provide strategic communications assistance to senior management, focusing on the success of individuals and teams. The spoken word is our starting point since it is the most powerful way for people to communicate their messages and themselves.
Management teams face a difficult task in articulating their company's narrative and doing it justice. Your performance and the outcome of what you're trying to do are inextricably linked. That is something we assist with.
In preparing senior management for their critical communications, we ensure they communicate at their natural best, consistently, with a credible and compelling story.