Consultancy

Lee believes passionately in making the fruits of academic research and expertise available to a wide audience outside of the university. For over 15 years, he has worked closely with the public, private and non-profit sectors to achieve impact well beyond academia.

Government

Lee has advised many public sector bodies, including agencies in the UK, Australia, and France, the EU, and the World Bank. His engagements range from the ad hoc provision of advice, through commissioned training programmes, to formal consultancies, to secondments into government. Lee has also provided evidence multiple times to the UK parliament. Topics covered vary widely, including economic sanctions, intervention and crises in Myanmar, engagement with China, and the emerging ‘New Cold War’ between the US and China.

From 2022-24, Lee was seconded to the UK’s foreign ministry, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, advising policymakers daily on Britain’s relations with Southeast Asia and China.

Lee created and convenes the Southeast Asia Policy Network (SEAPOLUK), the UK’s first network of experts doing policy-relevant research on Southeast Asia, to connect their work with UK policymakers for ongoing impact.

Want to draw on Lee’s expertise? Get in touch.

Lee working at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Private sector

Lee provides advice, insights and strategic consultancy to firms and industry groups interested in understanding evolving political risk and navigating an increasingly complex and fractious geoeconomic environment.

For example, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Lee provided the board of a major multinational firm with an assessment of likely geopolitical and economic fallout for their markets. Lee has supplied advice on China and Southeast Asia to a household-name tech company seeking to manage growing US-China tensions. In 2025, Lee delivered the keynote lecture at Logistics UK’s inaugural conference (pictured right), helping British firms understand the dramatic changes underway in geopolitics and global markets in President Trump’s second term.

Could Lee help your company or group? Get in touch.

Non-profit organisations

Lee is particularly passionate about working with charities, think tanks, civil society organisations and campaigning groups, and has helped a wide range of entities.

For example, he has helped to prepare staff of major humanitarian organisations like Medecins Sans Frontieres and the Norwegian Refugee Council for deployments to countries like Myanmar. Lee has also provided advice to the Transnational Institute on its strategic direction. His research on China has been used by research and campaigning organisations including the TNI, Corporate Europe Observatory, PowerShift, Forum Umwelt & Entwicklung, Seattle to Brussels Network, European Federation of Public Service Unions, AK Europa, ÖGB Europabüro, Stiftung Asienhaus, the Asia-Europe People’s Forum, and BRI Monitor, a network of six NGOs in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. For example, his research formed the basis of the Asia-Europe Foundation’s framing paper on how civil society should respond to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Could Lee help your organisation? Get in touch.