Kirk Kinnell

Kirk Kinnell is a professional negotiator and former Head of Hostage Negotiation and Armed Policing in Scotland who specialises in conflict resolution, decision-making, and influencing skills honed across 30 years and more than 250 high-stakes crisis interventions. Trained at the FBI's Hostage Crisis Negotiator Course in Quantico and deployed internationally on kidnap negotiations, he now applies his expertise through Negotiated Resolution, recently saving clients seven, eight, and nine-figure sums in complex commercial disputes. Currently completing his MBA at the University of Auckland, Kirk teaches executive students at institutions including Cambridge, Harvard Kennedy Business School, and HEC Paris, equipping leaders with practical frameworks to read the room, manage emotion under pressure, and navigate difficult conversations with clarity and composure.

During three decades as a senior police officer and Head of Hostage Negotiation and Armed Policing in Scotland, Kirk Kinnell resolved more than 250 sieges and suicide interventions, led negotiations when UK nationals were kidnapped abroad, and developed an expertise in conflict resolution that now saves organisations seven, eight, and nine-figure sums in commercial disputes. His conviction to fight for fairness led him first to the Scottish Police and later to the Armed Response Team, where he gained a rare dual perspective on how tactical operations and human dialogue work together under pressure. As founder and CEO of Negotiated Resolution, Kirk recognised that the skills honed in hostage negotiation were too valuable to leave behind, and he now applies them to help businesses and humanitarian organisations navigate their most difficult conversations.

Kirk's expertise has taken him to the FBI's Hostage Crisis Negotiator Course in Quantico, Virginia, and he has instructed on hostage and crisis negotiation since 2001 across the UK and internationally. He represented the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the UK Government Counter Terrorist Bilateral Assistance Programme, training the Philippine National Police, and in 2017 advised US law enforcement on conflict resolution, decision-making, and de-escalation of force across five major American cities. As a consultant with the CCHN Humanitarian Negotiation Organisation and an active associate of ADN Group in Paris, Kirk applies his skills to commercial and humanitarian contexts, recently saving clients substantial sums in multimillion-pound financial and contract disputes. He holds a BA in Policing Studies from Strathclyde University, a Certificate in Terrorism Studies from St Andrews University, and has completed his Graduate Diploma in Commerce at the University of Auckland, where he is currently pursuing his MBA, achieving an A+ in Leading in Complexity and an A in Te Ao Māori Business during his first quarter.

Kirk delivers training to humanitarian organisations, private sector clients, and executive MBA students at institutions including the University of St Andrews, Cambridge, St Gallen, HEC Paris, and Harvard Kennedy Business School. He is a featured speaker at the 2026 Institute for Global Negotiation e-Conference, exploring how negotiation functions within systems and institutions. Audiences leave his sessions with practical frameworks for listening, influencing, and making decisions under pressure. His approach is grounded in lived experience rather than theory, helping leaders navigate difficult conversations, resolve disputes effectively, and build the confidence to handle conflict with clarity and composure. Kirk transforms negotiation from an abstract skill into a tangible tool that drives better outcomes, stronger relationships, and lasting organisational value.