Meet Richard Langstaff, 1981 Alum

Originally from Colorado, Richard Langstaff completed his bachelor’s degree at Rice University in Houston, Texas before attending the Patterson School. He was given the opportunity to spend his junior year in France which sparked a shift in his interests from law school to an international career after graduation. He began his search for a graduate program without fully understanding what an international career would mean for him. Richard ultimately landed at the Patterson School due to the influence of Director Vince Davis and the interdisciplinary nature of the program.

In 1981, he graduated from Patterson and headed into the world of banking. His career with Citibank eventually took him to Sydney, Australia, where he lived for six years. Richard relocated again in 1995 to London, England to work in a senior investment banking role with Deutsche Bank for three years before beginning his career as an entrepreneur. Since 1997 he has built, invested in and managed, in partnership with international private equity investors, four successful financial services companies across Europe. The last one, based in Greece, was sold to PE investors in 2020. His time spent building a company in Greece during the crisis was an amazing experience and gave him a greater appreciation for the country and its people. He has also focused on education. In addition to his Patterson School MA and Rice BA, he has a JD degree and an MA degree (in Ottoman History!) from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He also had the privilege of spending a term researching as a Distinguished Visitor at Queens’ College, Cambridge.

“One thing I’ve learned is that 'international' is a broad concept,” Richard said when asked about what it takes to be successful in the field. He stressed that “it’s hard to plan a perfect career path” and that the best thing you can do is to “put yourself in the right position at the right time.” His education from the Patterson School gave him a variety of skills that were useful throughout his career. His recommendation is to know at least one additional language well and if possible, be able to read in a third language. He learned French first, but has since picked up parts of Greek, Spanish, and German. Lastly, Richard noted that, “Patterson School people can hold their own and shouldn’t be intimidated” by the school affiliations of colleagues and counterparts.

Richard and his family have now moved back to the US. He is pondering his next move. Currently he is a partner with Kaican LLP. Previously, he was a director of several business in Europe and a Trustee of a large UK based NGO targeted on peacebuilding (and chaired by the Patterson School’s very own Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh).

Richard recently spoke as a panelist at the Patterson School's Fall Conference event on October 28, 2022. The theme of this conference was "The New Cold War". Participating on the International Commerce panel, Langstaff provided some good insight into the economic statecraft in the new era.