Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard on 3 April 2016. She was later sentenced to five years' imprisonment on an undisclosed national security charge by the Iranian Revolutionary Court, declared arbitrary by the United Nations.
From the moment she was detained, Richard campaigned tirelessly to bring his wife home. Nazanin was released on 16 March 2022, six years after she was imprisoned, and returned to the UK.
Richard qualified as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant in 2012 and works for BDO, he received ICAEW’s Outstanding Achievement Award for 2023 in recognition of his “exceptional commitment, sacrifice and resilience during his political campaign”.
In this interview Richard shares his story with Marcia Dyce, Communities Manager, Diversity & Belonging, at ICAEW.
Inspiring resilience
ICAEW's Annual Conference 2025 has speakers with unique perspectives on overcoming challenges. Hear from Richard Ratcliffe, as well as Jill Scott MBE and Karenjeet Kaur Bains.
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