About

I am Rob Starr MBE, an author, entrepreneur, charity founder and lifelong believer that almost anything is possible with hard work, determination and a willingness to take a chance.

I live in Brighton with my wife Sharon. We have been married for more than 25 years and are incredibly proud of our three children, Asher, Mia, and Jesse, who are now all building successful lives and careers of their own. Family has always been at the heart of everything I do and will always remain my greatest achievement.

I left school at fifteen with no formal qualifications and began my working life making tea and coffee for a local insurance broker. A few years later, at the age of twenty-one, I took a leap of faith and started my own business from my bedroom with little more than a telephone, a Yellow Pages and a determination to succeed.

That business became SEICO Insurance & Mortgages. More than 35 years later, SEICO continues to thrive, with offices in Brighton, London and South Africa, serving clients across the UK and internationally. What began as a one-man operation is now a highly respected business supported by an exceptional team of people, many of whom have worked with me for decades. Looking back, I am immensely proud that a company I started with such modest beginnings is still growing strongly more than three decades later.

In 2008, following the loss of my father to cancer, I founded the Starr Trust. What started as a simple idea to help young people overcome the barriers holding them back has grown into a charity that has supported thousands of young people and distributed millions of pounds in grants across sport, education and the arts. It remains one of the achievements of which I am most proud. One aspect of the charity that is particularly important to me is that every pound raised goes directly to helping young people, with SEICO covering 100% of the Starr Trust’s running costs. I continue to serve as Chairman and remain passionate about creating opportunities that help young people fulfil their potential and chase their dreams.

In recognition of my work in business, charity and the community, I was honoured to be awarded an MBE.

Writing has always been my greatest passion. Over the years I have written stage plays, co-written full-length musicals, published a non-fiction book about my English Channel swim and built a growing catalogue of novels. Today I am best known as the creator of fraud investigator Kiara Fox, the central character in my thriller series, including The First Widow, Black Gold and The Forger’s Game. Through my books I hope to entertain readers with stories that combine suspense, intrigue, mystery and unforgettable characters.

Outside of business and writing, I have always enjoyed setting myself ambitious goals and then finding a way to achieve them. Sport has provided many of my greatest challenges and taught me some of life’s most valuable lessons about resilience, discipline and perseverance.

I have completed numerous endurance events over the years. I swam the English Channel in 2012 and in 2013 cycled up the legendary Le Mont Ventoux in France, one of the most iconic climbs in world cycling. Between 2014 and 2020 I completed 21 Olympic-distance triathlons. In 2021 I pushed myself further by completing two Half Ironman events and my first full Ironman triathlon.

Perhaps my proudest sporting achievement came in 2022 with my 52 x 52 Challenge. Over the course of a year I completed 52 Olympic-distance triathlons in 52 consecutive weeks, raising more than £100,000 for the Starr Trust to help young people overcome the barriers standing in their way. Knowing those efforts helped transform young lives made every early morning, long training session and difficult race worthwhile.

More recently, I completed a 100-kilometre ultramarathon in just over ten hours, proving to myself once again that age should never be a barrier to taking on new challenges.

These days my favourite form of exercise is much simpler. Most mornings, whatever the weather and whatever the season, you will find me in the sea off Brighton beach at 6.30am, swimming around the famous Brighton Palace Pier as the sun rises over the city. It is one of my favourite places in the world and often where many of my story ideas begin.

I am also a keen musician and have taught myself to play the saxophone, guitar and clarinet. I would never claim to be a professional musician, but I firmly believe life is about continually learning new skills, embracing new challenges and finding enjoyment in the process.

Looking back, I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given and the remarkable people who have shared the journey with me. Whether through business, charity, sport, music or writing, I have always tried to approach life with enthusiasm, curiosity and a belief that we are capable of far more than we often realise.

Thank you for visiting my website. I hope you enjoy exploring my books, learning more about my journey and perhaps finding a little inspiration to pursue your own dreams along the way.

Rob Starr MBE