Lieutenant General (Ret.) Rick Waddell is Senior Advisor for Global Strategy at Fifth Ocean Group, bringing a unique background spanning energy leadership, international business development, and national security.

He previously served as Managing Director of BG Brazil and EVP of BG Group Plc (since acquired by Shell), where he led the company’s entry into Brazil’s pre-salt. He also served as CEO of Anglo-Ferrous Brazil (Anglo American Plc.) and has successfully launched and scaled businesses across Latin America in energy, mining, and retail.

Rick completed a 39-year career in the U.S. Army, including senior advisory roles to the U.S. Secretary of State, Deputy National Security Advisor and the assistant to the President, as well as multiple deployments overseas.



He holds a BS from the U.S. Military Academy, an MA from Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and a PhD from Columbia University.