Colonel Tim Allen was born and raised in Norfolk and commissioned into the Royal Corps of Signals in 1986. He has served in a broad variety of Regimental and Staff appointments including as a strategic planner in the Ministry of Defence. He has served on operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Africa.

Colonel Allen was privileged to command 71^st (City of London) Yeomanry Signal Regiment, the Army Reserve unit responsible for providing communications during times of crisis in London. He also served 3 years in the Joint Force Headquarters, which took him to 12 African countries as the lead military planner for crisis response in Sub-Saharan Africa. He was appointed OBE in the 2015 New Year’s Honours List for his work across Africa. 

A graduate of the Royal Military College of Science, he has a BSc in Computing and Communications Systems and a Master’s Degree in Defence Technology. He is a member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute. 

He is a Freeman of the City of London, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists and an Honorary Steward at Westminster Abbey. He lives in King’s Lynn and is co-owner of a local business.