Key Personnel

The GEO Group UK team brings to the European market an extraordinary fund of expertise, which makes us ideally placed and prepared for the challenges of the future. In the UK, GEO is led by some of the most exceptional and experienced people in the field.

Our British Senior Management Team has direct experience of managing prisons, operating immigration centres and supervising offenders, ensuring that we fully understand all your business requirements.

George Zoley

Chairman and CEO commented:
“GEO is a global provider of diversified, outsourced government services. Until 2003, we operated a joint venture in the UK, managing prisons and detention centres, prison escort services and home detention curfews. We welcome the opportunity to expand once again in the UK and to lead this, we have recruited experienced criminal justice professionals with proven records of innovation and achievement. We are certain that GEO can design, finance, construct and operate provision, which offers value for money and deliver the highest quality of services.”

Walter MacGowan

Managing Director

Walter MacGowan is one of the most experienced professionals in the UK custodial sector, with over 30 years expertise in both state and contracted-out prisons. Walter has been the Governor or Director of six prisons in the UK, as well as having had line management responsibility for three Immigration Removal Centres. Walter has specialist skills in bidding and contract negotiations, project development, change management, crisis commanding, control and restraints, and representation at Parliamentary Inquiries and The Competition Commission.

Colin Dobell

Finance Director

Colin has more than 20 years’ experience as a Finance professional, with expertise in Mergers & Acquisitions and specialist knowledge of UK PPP and PFI contracts. Colin has a proven track record in the development of Governmental agency relationships and the processes of bid and re-bid development. Having led large corporate teams, developed and implemented budgets, forecasts and management reporting systems, Colin is highly skilled in the conception, development and delivery of PPP/PFI contracts and the integrated service systems and teams that support them.

Martin Redman

Business Development Manager

Martin has a broad range of senior management experience within the voluntary, public and private sectors. He has run a charity, supervised offenders, managed probation staff and has been part of the Senior Management Team of a prison. His wider experience of building and sustaining partnerships, planning and implementing new projects, motivating teams and providing services to diverse communities is proving invaluable in his role as Business Development Manager for GEO. In recognition of his services to the community, Martin has received the High Sheriff of Merseyside award.