Born in Canterbury in 1956, Sambrook was educated at Reading University where he obtained a BA in English. He also holds an MSc in Politics from Birkbeck College, London University.

As Director of the BBC's World Service and Global News division, Richard Sambrook is responsible for leading the BBC's overall international news strategy across radio, TV and new media. The division contains BBC World Service radio, BBC Monitoring, BBC World television and the BBC's international facing online news services. The aim of the division is to create a clear, coordinated presence in the international media marketplace improving the impact of BBC journalism services with global audiences. He took up the post in September 2004.