Richard Sills graduated from Birmingham University with a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Chemistry before joining the UK Atomic Energy Authority and transferring to British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL). He worked in all of the principal areas of the company's business, including as General Manager of an advanced ceramics company, eventually becoming Senior Vice President of BNFL Inc. in Washington DC.

On leaving BNFL, he worked for a small radioactive waste handling company and also as a freelance consultant in energy and the environment. In 1996, he was appointed as the first Chief Executive of Entrust, the regulator of the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme.

Richard Sills joined the Telecommunications Ombudsman Service (now Ombudsman Services) in 2002 as Project Manager, to assist the Council and Ombudsman in setting up the organisation. He was appointed Director of Operations for the service and became an Ombudsman in July 2006.

Richard is a non-executive director of Networking for Industry, a not-for-profit company which helps coordinate several parliamentary/industry groups, including waste management, health, design and manufacturing.