Chris Allen is an author, leadership mentor, risk & resilience consultant, public speaker, veteran and father. He is a member of the Australian Crime Writers Association (ACWA) and an Associate Member of Screen Producers Australia (SPA). The formative years of Chris's career began in the Australian Army, initially as a soldier before being selected for commissioning as an officer. His service included airborne forces, military intelligence, attachments to the New Zealand Army, the British Parachute Regiment and deployments to Africa, South East Asia and Central America. After almost fifteen years of military service, Chris was medically retired at the rank of Major. Chris's post-military career continued to reflect his commitment to service. He led security and logistics operations for CARE International in East Timor during the 1999 emergency. Later, in the wake of the September 11 attacks of 2001, he oversaw the upgrade of Counter Terrorism First Response (CTFR) measures at Sydney Airport. And in 2003 when protestors painted 'No War' on the sails of the Sydney Opera House, he was headhunted to take over the protection of the iconic landmark. In 2008 he was appointed Sheriff of New South Wales, one of Australia's most historic law enforcement appointments. In more recent years, Chris continued his career as a government senior executive, seeking to diversify his experience within portfolios such as the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment and The Office of Sport, and the Commonwealth Department of Communications and the Arts. Between 2018 and 2022, he served as a Member of the Classification Review Board. Today, Chris lives on the New South Wales south coast with his sons, Morgan and Rhett. Professionally, he is focused on consulting, public speaking and, of course, writing. Chris' best-selling INTREPID series featuring ALEX MORGAN raced to the top of the bestseller lists when they were originally published by Momentum/Pan Macmillan and were quickly optioned for film and television.The first four books in the series DEFENDER, HUNTER, AVENGER and HELLDIVER are currently available in audiobook, published by Wavesound Australia. Fans will be excited by the long-awaited return of ALEX MORGAN in INTREPID #5 SHAPESHIFTER, coming soon. Chris is currently working on a contemporary new thriller series featuring former Commando and Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) veteran BENJAMIN RHETT and former Army Intelligence Officer and Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) agent KAT THOMAS.
