Confirmed Speakers
We are delighted to welcome the following speakers to DPRTE 2025.
Aimie Stone
Chief Economist

Aimie is ADS Group’s Chief Economist and has been at ADS for six years. Aimie leads on all ADS procurement, production and dissemination of industry and economic data. In a cross-sector role, Aimie works to providing evidence to policy issues, including tax, supply chain impacts and the cost of doing business. A significant part of Aimie’s work over the last 18 months has been working to evidence the needs for greater support for the UK’s industrial base, including through challenges faced around access to finance. Prior to ADS, Aimie has a background working for trade bodies representing interests of both automotive and food and drink manufacturing sectors, providing a similar role in
evidencing policy positions with economic analysis and supporting on customs and trade issues.
Andrew Kinniburgh
Director General

Andrew Kinniburgh is Director-General of Make UK Defence, the Defence Trade Association belonging to Make UK – the Manufacturers’ Organisation. He joined Make UK in 2019 from the Cabinet Office where he was Wider Government Engagement Lead for the Government Commercial Organisation, following a 25 year career in the defence and security industry.
He spent nearly 10 years with Serco Defence, followed by senior appointments with Smiths Detection and two Ministry of Defence trading funds and a 7 year spell as an independent consultant. He holds a BA in Business from Heriot-Watt University and an MSc in International Defence Marketing from Cranfield University / UK Defence Academy.
Andrew has been involved with Defence Ministries and businesses in the Defence and Security sectors across most European countries and in North America, as well as the UK. Make UK Defence represents over 300 UK Defence Suppliers ranging from SMEs and mid tiers, to major Primes and is the lead Trade Association for the MOD’s Defence Suppliers Forum SME Working Group.
Andy Kaye
Andy Kaye, Head of Commercial – Gateway and Operations

Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) is proud to deliver world-class equipment and support services to the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force. The organisation plays a critical role in keeping the UK safe and prosperous, making sure the front-lines have the right kit at the right time.
Avril Jolliffe
Director General Industry, Trade and Economic Security

Avril left university with two degrees in Engineering, including a Dip Ing in Nuclear Engineering and joined the Ministry of Defence (MOD) on the Science and Engineering Fast Stream in 1995.
She worked in a number of operational policy areas, such as Bosnia, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan and worked on contingency planning for Homeland crises. Her first SCS post was the MOD’s Head of Export Policy and Assurance, where she was responsible for the assessment of military equipment export clearances against counter-proliferation legislation.
In May 2011, Avril joined Thales UK as Director Anglo-French Relations. In 2015, she took on the role of Head of Policy and International Relations, representing Thales UK across all aspects of senior Government policy making and understanding the UK’s strategic international relations position. She was also a company director for Thales Alenia Space UK, the UK arm of Europe’s largest space company. In Sept 2022, Avril re-joined MOD as the Director General for Industry, Trade and Economic Security, leading on a number of key policy areas including industrial strategy, exports, economic and investment security, space, climate change, levelling up and the Union. She is also responsible for MODSAP and other UK activities in Saudi Arabia.
Aydin Zorlutuna
Senior Technical Director

Aydin is a Landscape Architect and a Senior Technical Director, leading the Arcadis UK Landscape, Masterplanning and Urbanism team. Aydin has over 30 years of private and voluntary sector experience in urban regeneration and community engagement, and is a Fellow member of the Landscape Institute.
Ben Farrell
CEO

Ben’s significant professional experience and, in particular, his most recent position as Director of Operations, Planning and Delivery for the John Lewis Partnership (John Lewis and Waitrose), means he will bring knowledge and skills to CIPS that are crucial at this stage of the organisation’s development. This experience includes procurement and supply chain management, membership, operations, digital transformation, and experience of the charity sector where he is the Chair of the Invictus Games Foundation Programme Board, he is the Chair of the Forces Employment Charity and is the Founder and organiser of the Blackthorn Rally which combines motorsport and conservation in Africa.
Ben had an illustrious early career in the military during which he achieved the rank of Colonel at a very young age, he was Commanding Officer of the Irish Guards, serving extensively around the world, and was awarded an MBE aged 29.
Bruce Lascelles
Director for Climate Smart and Sustainable Land Management

Bruce is the Arcadis UK Director for Climate Smart and Sustainable Land Management. He is the President-elect of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), current Past President (and a Trustee) and a Fellow of the British Society of Soil Science (BSSS). He is also Chair of the BSSS Working Group who lead the preparations for and delivery of the World Congress of Soil Science which was held in Glasgow in 2022. He is also a member of the CIWEM Natural Capital Network Steering Group and sits on the Canal and River Trust Environment Advisory Panel.
Chris Daniels
Chief Commercial Officer

Chris is a drone expert whose main role is as Chief Commercial Officer of Flare Bright Ltd,a cutting-edge machine learning drone software company. He is also a Director of ARPAS, the drone industry trade body, and Co-Chair of the wider industry body, ADSGroup’s DPAC (Drone Platform and Counter Drone group at the ADS).
He also sits on the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Remote Piloted and Autonomous Aircraft Systems group. He is a regular industry speaker and commentator, and is well known for his insightful
and frank views.
Chris served a 5-year Short Service Commission with British Army’s elite Parachute Regiment, and has maintained his involvement with Reserve Forces since, currently a member of the Honourable Artillery Company. He has worked in the aerospace and defence industry for a number of high profile companies, including Hybrid Air Vehicles, whose Airlander airship was the world’s largest flying aircraft until recently.
Chris spends 1-day a week as the Royal Society Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Oxford University Mathematics Institute. He sits on the EPSRC’s Mathematical Sciences Srategic Advisory Team, which funds academic maths in the UK. He is also on the advisory group of the new UK National Academy of Mathematics and is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.
Christian Knutson
Director, Europe Defence and Security

Chris has over 30 years of experience, including 17 years in Europe and the Middle East, focusing on defence infrastructure engineering planning, design, construction, program management and weapon system integration. Chris joined Jacobs in 2021 after 25 years of military and civil service for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Department of Army.
A Chartered Engineer, licensed professional engineer and certified program and project manager, he holds a civil engineering bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and Master of Business Administration from Colorado State University. He is also a Fellow with the Institution of Civil Engineers (UK) and the Society of American Military Engineers. In his current role, Chris leverages his extensive knowledge and expertise in defence buildings and infrastructure, providing Government and industry aerospace, defence and security clients with solutions to enable their defence and security programmes.
Christopher Hamley
Commercial Head Networks

Chris joined the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO) to support the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Defence Digital Commercial function in March 2019 as Head of Commercial to lead the Commercial Networks team with a mission to drive best practice from across MOD, Crown Commercial Service (CSS) as well as across Central Government and wider industry to enable Commercial to become more effective and efficient.
Prior to joining the Department, Chris was General Manager for Procurement at BT where he was responsible for a number of different procurement category teams including Business Customer Premises Equipment (LAN and WAN equipment and services), Conferencing Solutions and Consumer Devices. Chris also led the procurement teams supporting Openreach and the categories of Engineering Field Services, Materials and Automotive & Fleet.
Before BT, Chris was a Senior Procurement Manager at Aviva where he was responsible for Data Centre Procurement (hardware, software and services) and also previously worked for ESRI, a software company, responsible for contracts of supply to government (both local and central) as well as industry.
Chris has a law degree (LL.B Hons) and completed the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and became a Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (MCIPS)
in 2005. Chris has more recently been awarded Fellowship, the highest grade of membership within the CIPS, together with the award of Chartered Procurement & Supply Professional from March 2019.
Claire Benham
Commercial Director

Claire has 30 years extensive commercial experience working in public and private sector across industries, including manufacturing, construction, financial services and working overseas. Claire holds a degree in Politics and Economics and is MCIPS Chartered since 2002.
“Following a 20-year private sector commercial career, I joined the DIO, to lead an exciting programme to develop a leading-edge Commercial function delivering Military capability through Infrastructure. Our vision is to be a high performing team consistently delivering value for money and commercial outcomes across Defence Infrastructure. Building on the values of the wider Defence commercial family and the Government Commercial Function, aiming to strengthen and leverage Government scale and purchasing power and driving better value for money for the taxpayer and partners.
Working closely with Defence colleagues, Ministers and Industry Partners, we are shaping and delivering services and outcomes across the infrastructure sector. I am passionate about the social value we can create, and I am incredibly proud of my record working with SME’s, Voluntary and Third Sectors, alongside more established Partners.
At all times we work with integrity, alongside driving sustainable results and value. I build strong teams, relationships and I am a champion of Diversity.”
Clare McGinn
Principal Commercial Manager

Dstl is one of the principal government organisations dedicated to science and technology in the defence and security field.
Dstl supplies specialist services to MOD and wider government, working collaboratively with external partners in industry and academia worldwide, providing expert research, specialist advice and invaluable operational support.
Colonel Harvey Pynn
Head, jHub Med

Colonel Harvey Pynn is the Head of JHub MED, the innovation hub for the Defence Medical Services that seeks solutions to reducing battlefield morbidity and mortality on future UK operational deployments. Harvey is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine (EM) at Bristol Royal Infirmary and a Pre-hospital Emergency Medicine (PHEM) Consultant with Great Western Air Ambulance Charity. He has deployed in support of multiple operations overseas in both EM and PHEM roles.
Harvey will be sharing his unique insights into the Defence Medical problem set and how industry and defence can work effectively together to deliver innovative change.
Dale Sinclair
Head of Digital Innovation

Described as a pragmatic futurist, Dale is driven to transform project delivery through innovative use of digital technologies and offsite manufacturing, collaborating with clients and contractors to harness the advantages of new manufacturing methods through kit-of-parts approaches. By integrating artificial intelligence into interdisciplinary workflows, he aims to revolutionise the approach to design complexity and future challenges including net zero. His global team is actively engaged in delivering cutting-edge projects. Dale is involved in many forums, helping stimulate and drive change in the built environment industry and he regularly talks at round table events, gives keynote addresses and publishes industry guidance.
Dan Barker
Global Head of Secure Infrastructure

Dan brings extensive expertise in construction, specialising in modern methods of construction (MMC). His portfolio includes delivering complex projects, from seven-storey critical care facilities to above-secret working environments.
As the leader of BeaverFit’s secure division, Dan drives global business development while advocating for innovative construction methods, such as offsite solutions, to meet the demanding requirements of high-security environments. Acting as a vital link between clients and BeaverFit’s secure team, Dan ensures seamless collaboration across projects for the UK MOD, Defence Primes, and Government Agencies, in the UK and Globally.
Dave Pheasant
DE&S Future Capability Innovation – Capability Acceleration Team Leader

Dave is Team Leader for the Strategic Command and Air portfolios in the Future Capability Group, which is part of the Integrated Battlespace Operating Centre. Having been through DE&S transformation David has seen first-hand how DE&S change has been implemented and embedded and now in the Future Capability Group is working on ways to accelerate the pull through of experimentation and innovation into recognised projects that will deliver capability to the end user.
David Richardson
Head of Marketing Engagement

Having taken a First in English at Oxford, David joined the British Civil Service, where he worked on the commercialisation of government R&D.
Having received a government scholarship to study marketing at the Kellogg School in the USA, he negotiated a series of major technology exchanges with the US DoD.
After 15 years as a public servant, David was recruited by Serco Group to lead the growth of the company’s science business.
Having secured a contract to operate the National Physical Laboratory, he became an executive on the NPL board and, as BD director for Serco’s Science Division, supported Serco’s successful bids to operate AWE and NNL.
In 2010, David was invited to head up market and sales for Serco Global Services and went on to become a member of the Serco UK and Europe Executive team.
On retirement from Serco, AWE asked David to work on engagement with UK industry and academia, a role that continues, with a focus on the Astraea programme.
Dina Kakaras
Head

Dina Kakaras is the head of Commercial X and Head of Procurement at Ministry of Defence. Dina is a highly motivated and action orientated leader with over 17 years of experience in large, complex, global organisations in the Private and Public Sector.
A recognised innovator with a passion for digital transformation as well as building, developing and motivating high performing teams to maximise value and capability. Promoter and strong advocate for creating a customer focused culture by harnessing the power of diversity and inclusion.
Dr Elizabeth Newman-Earl
Founder

Elizabeth has a substantial track record co-creating social value and community strategies with multi-national organisations, private, public and third sector clients.
Inspired to champion social value in Defence communities during her PhD fieldwork on the impact of institutional determinism within overseas SFAs she now oversees a small, agile SME of Defence spouses and veterans, delivering support, guidance and the lived experience into Defence contractors and operators. Working with a national construction and facilities management organization she successfully secured grant funding in 2020 to develop e50K Communities which receives the profit from all e50K Strategic Advisory’s contracts.
Since the company’s inception Elizabeth has overseen a range projects from large scale multi-billion pound Defence contracts with the MOD and DIO through to targeted SME support operations and accelerator programs.
Prior to completing her PhD, Elizabeth was much sought after for her extensive research in multi-national financial and professional services expansion projects.
Dr Stephen Casey FIMA
Procurement Evaluation Design Principal Consultant, DSP AWARD®

Stephen provides best practice advice to major public sector projects on the design and execution of evaluation elements of their procurements, including criteria development and weighting, value for money trade-offs and cost evaluation.
Ed Carden
Senior Desk Officer for Australia & New Zealand

Edward Carden is a Senior Desk Officer in UK Defence & Security Exports where he helps UK industry to export to Australia and New Zealand. Before joining in DBT, Edward was a civil servant in MOD, working in Strategic Command.
Gareth Brown
Dstl Fellow Quantum Technologies

Dr. Gareth Brown is a Fellow in Quantum Technologies working for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). He works across the supply chain supporting industry, academia, and wider government to deliver the goals of the UK National Quantum Technology Programme, pulling though technologies for Defence and Security. Dr Brown is lead technical advisor to the Department for Science Innovation and Technology’s (DSIT’s) Quantum Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Mission and technical authority for Dstl’s Quantum Project. He works with the Front Line Commands to help them understand the opportunities Quantum Technology can offer, as well as helping to manage the hype. Dr. Brown joined Dstl in 2007 after completing a PhD in theoretical physics; he has published work relating to signal processing, Bayesian inference, and the modelling of physical systems. His work includes techniques for passive geolocation and anomaly detection using measurements of micro-gravity.
Guy Hale
Senior Desk Officer

Guy is a Senior Desk Officer in UKDSE, supporting British partnership and exports with Japan and Taiwan. He previously worked in UK Strategic Command and as an engineer for BAE Systems Maritime Services supporting the Royal Navy.
Ian Evans
Solution Lead

Ian is the Arcadis UK Solution Lead for our Site Evaluation and Restoration team, who specialise in supporting management and development of brownfield sites throughout the UK. Ian has over 35 years' experience in delivering large scale and complex brownfield regeneration solutions for clients throughout the UK. As Chair of the Specialist in Land Condition (SiLC) Board, Ian is recognised as a highly accredited brownfield land and land contamination specialist.
Jacob Cooney
SME Engagement Project Manager

Jacob is part of the UKDSE SME Engagement team, with experience organizing SME networking events, facilitating international Meet the Buyer sessions, and supporting the UKDSE Export Faculty.
James Bevis
Managing Director

A professional with over 28 years of experience within the construction industry, specialising in the management of complex engineering and technology projects.
Experience has been gained both operationally and commercially, business central and on projects across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East with construction values up to £750 million.
James a proven customer focused approach to delivery by implementing robust strategies to enhance business performance with vast experience liaising with developers, end user clients, engineering and cost consultants, contractors, and the supply chain to ensure that ultimately, projects are safely and sustainably delivered to programme, with the highest quality standard upheld and with costs controlled correctly.
James Gavin
Head of Future Capability Innovation

James Gavin is the Head of the Future Capability Group (FCG) at Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S).
The FCG exists to help explore new capabilities so that they can then be exploited at scale. Increasingly projects are ‘Agile By Default’ to deliver early operational advantage. The Group works closely with all the Front-line Commands, Dstl and central MOD areas such as the DIU and DASA. James has served in the military, the civil service and industry before joining DE&S. He is a passionate advocate of delivering Operational Advantage through a better application of strategic thinking on innovation, inclusive cultures and sustainability.
Jeremy Wimble
Programme Manager, Defence

Jeremy manages techUK's defence programme, helping the UK's defence technology sector align itself with the Ministry of Defence - including Defence Digital, DE&S, innovation units and Frontline Commands - through a broad range of activities including private briefings and early market engagement events. It also supports the MOD as it procures new digital technologies.
Prior to joining techUK, from 2016-2024 Jeremy was International Security Programme Manager at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) coordinating research and impact activities for funders including the FCDO and US Department of Defense, as well as business development and strategy.
Jo Osburn-Hughes
Human Resources Manager

Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) delivers world-class equipment and support services to the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.
The organisation play a critical role in keeping the UK safe and prosperous, making sure the front-lines have the right kit at the right time.
John Kite
MOD Supply Chain Development Team Leader

John has worked for the Ministry of Defence since 1989, primarily in policy and secretariat roles, working on a number of high-profile policy reviews including terms and conditions for Ghurkhas, service children’s education and official entertainment.
He has been involved in a variety Strategic Supplier Management roles since 2012, managing relationships with some of the largest defence contractors. John is currently responsible for managing the Defence Suppliers’ Forum, which is the UK MOD’s strategic engagement with the defence industry.
John Russell
Chief Executive

John Russell joined the SSRO as Chief Executive in July 2023. John was a Senior Director at Ofwat from 2016. He has also worked in Shell’s group strategy and business environment teams and had a long career in Whitehall where, amongst other roles, he was the Chief Operating Officer for Infrastructure UK and Deputy Director for Growth and Productivity in HM Treasury.
Joshua Edwards
Deputy Head, Defence Shipping and Space

Josh is the Deputy Head of Defence, Shipping and Space within UK Export Finance having first joined in 2014. Josh has also spent time outside of UK Export Finance working at the Department for Business and Trade and British International Investment, being the UK’s development bank and has a proven track record supporting customers access finance.
Julie Brettell
Supply Chain Director

Julie has worked in the Defence industry for three decades, predominately in Procurement and Supply Chain roles; leading in various private sector organisations and as an operating Board member, since 2003. She joined MOD as Commercial Director, Supply Chain in January 2023, bringing a valuable perspective, fresh from her leadership role within Thales UK. She joined Thales UK as Chief Procurement Officer in 2018 and was responsible for all procurement and supply chain activity across UK divisions including Defence, Cyber Security, Civil Aerospace and Ground Transportation.
Julie has led numerous successful transformation programmes across her roles within the Defence Industry and brings a huge amount of industry insight to her role in the MOD.
Julie Marionneau
Director of International Relations

ADS is the UK trade association advancing leadership in aerospace, defence, security and space, to enable prosperity and clean, secure growth for our nation.
Karolina Anderson
Social Value and Sustainability Procurement Manager

Karolina Anderson MBM MCIPS has extensive experience in procurement and supply chain management across multiple industries. Currently serving as Procurement Manager for Social Value and Sustainability at Thales, previous roles include Sub-Contract Manager Team Lead at Thales, Procurement Director EMEA at Interface, Supply Chain Lead and Group Supply Chain Development at RLC Engineering Group, Supply Chain Performance Engineer at FG Wilson, and Management Trainee at Moypark. Karolina holds a Master's degree in Management from Poznan University of Economics and Business and completed The Prince of Wales's Business & Sustainability Programme in Sustainability Leadership at the University of Cambridge in 2020.
Kevin Craven
Chief Executive

Kevin Craven was appointed as the permanent Chief Executive of ADS in 2021
Kevin previously served as ADS Interim Chief Executive and has worked for Serco since 2014, most recently as Strategic Partnership Director, following three years as Serco CEO UK & Europe from 2017 to 2020. He has also served on the ADS Board as Vice President for Defence.
Len Pannett
CEO

With over two decades' experience of helping Defence organisations to overcome supply chain and operations challenges, Len is an international authority in the use of additive manufacturing in supply chains. A highly accomplished, award-winning and respected professional with a rich background in the aerospace, defence and several other sectors, he has supported clients ranging from the MoD and established industry leaders to innovative start-ups. A former Royal Navy Engineer Officer, Len is an Executive Committee member of Project TAMPA, the joint MoD-Industry task force working to expand the use of additive manufacturing in the Defence sector. He is a Board Director of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and a Fellow with the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Len is a sought-after speaker, MBA lecturer and author, and his ground-breaking bestseller, "Supercharg3d: How 3D Printing Will Drive Your Supply Chain", was published by Wiley in 2019.
Libby Vallance-Bull
AI and Technical Strategy Advisor

Elizabeth (Libby) Vallance Bull is an AI and Technical Strategy Advisor for the British Army, MOD and NATO.
Libby is a graduate from the Universities of St. Andrews, Aberdeen and Cambridge, a Fellow of the Geological Society, and Honorary Fellow of the University of Exeter (Centre for Public Understanding of Defence and National Security), guest lecturer at the Universities of Buckinghamshire and Cambridge. She started her career with the MOD, Army, Royal Signals during the period of the Bosnian Conflict. Emerging as a Geophysicist from her studies, Libby has spent a privileged three decades, travelling the world and its major oil capitals, working as an exploration geophysicist and latterly digital transformation strategist, within the largest multinational Oil and Gas organisations globally.
Libby brought her experience of solving complex hydrocarbon exploration challenges to Defence and National Security, where she has provided, technical and strategic advisory to Defence Primes, SMEs, and MOD. She brings a wealth of expertise, in the practical application of artificial intelligence, and machine intelligent process to defence and national security.
Over the last 12 months she has worked alongside an ecosystem of niche SMEs and met with over 60 other SMEs, during mobilisation demonstrating how data centric, SMEs can work at pace to deliver brilliance.
Lieutenant General Sir Rob Magowan KCB CBE
Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Military Capability)

Lieutenant General Rob Magowan joined the Royal Marines in 1989 after reading chemistry at Southampton University. His early command appointments included a tour of Northern Ireland. Returning from the US Marine Corps staff course, he was posted to HQ 3 UK Division, during which time he deployed to Afghanistan on the first International Security Assistance Force deployment. He returned to 42 Commando as Second in Command, deploying to Kuwait and Iraq for Operation Telic 1.
Subsequently, he worked in the Cabinet Office, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, with a focus on intelligence. He assumed command of the Royal Marines 30 Commando Information Exploitation Group, deploying to Helmand province.
After Higher Command and Staff Course, as a Brigadier he was Chief of Staff to the National Contingent Commander in Kabul, Commodore Naval Personnel Strategy and then Commander Joint Forces Intelligence Group.
He became Commandant General Royal Marines, for the first time, and Commander United Kingdom Amphibious Forces in 2016. He also assumed command of the European Union Naval Force Somalia. His staff appointments as a Major General were Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Capability) and Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Capability and Force Design).
In January 2020, he assumed the role as Deputy Commander UK Strategic Command. He reassumed the position of Commandant General Royal Marines from April 2021 – November 2022. He started as the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Military Capability) in May 2022 and was Knighted in the 2024 New Years Honours.
Maria Eagle MP
Minister of State

Maria Eagle was appointed Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence on 8 July 2024. She was elected as the MP for Liverpool Garston in July 2024.
The Minister of State (Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry) is responsible for overseeing a wide range of critical areas within the defence sector. This includes defence procurement, driving the Defence Industrial Strategy to support economic growth and export campaigns, and fostering strong relationships with the defence industry. The role encompasses leading acquisition reform, managing the Equipment Plan, and overseeing the Defence Estates through the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO). Additionally, the minister supervises Defence Digital, advancing science and technology, and promoting research and development initiatives. Responsibilities also extend to ensuring compliance with single source contract regulations, supporting shipbuilding efforts, and engaging in multi-lateral capability programmes and organisations to strengthen international collaboration.
Martin Lee
Space Program Procurement Manager

Marin is the Space Program Procurement Manager at Airbus Defence and Space. Airbus is a leader in designing, manufacturing and delivering aerospace products, services and solutions to customers on a worldwide scale. With around 134,000 employees and as the largest aeronautics and space company in Europe and a worldwide leader, Airbus is at the forefront of the aviation industry and build the most innovative commercial aircraft and consistently capture about half of all commercial airliner orders. Thanks to their deep understanding of changing market needs, customer focus and technological innovation, they offer products that connect people and places via air and space.
Matt Croker
Director

Matt is a Director at Heligan Group, a specialist advisor to companies operating in the National Security, Crime Prevention and Public Safety sectors. Matt is a Chartered Accountant and has been advising companies for 10+ years on raising growth debt / equity and assisting Shareholders with their M&A strategy.
Matt Dabrowski
OutBritain & OutScotland

Matt Dabrowski is a distinguished advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and economic equality, renowned for his visionary leadership in advancing diversity and inclusion within the business community. As the CEO and founder of OutBritain and OutScotland, the UK’s pioneering LGBTQ+ Chambers of Commerce, Matt has been instrumental in transforming the landscape for LGBTQ+ owned businesses. His journey began in Connecticut, USA, where he served as the Executive Director of the Connecticut LGBT Chamber of Commerce before relocating to the UK in 2019.
Recognizing the increasing importance of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting and the substantial benefits that structured diversity in procurement and supplier management offers to LGBTQ+ owned businesses, Matt embarked on a mission to introduce the Chamber of Commerce model to the UK. His efforts culminated in the founding of OutScotland in 2020, followed shortly by OutBritain. Through these organizations, Matt and his team have established a robust framework to support, platform, and empower LGBTQ+ enterprises, notably through the introduction of the LGBTBE® certification in the UK. This certification not only enhances the visibility of LGBTQ+ owned businesses but also facilitates meaningful collaborations with corporate partners committed to supplier diversity.
Matt's expertise and impact have not gone unnoticed. He was honored by Attitude Magazine as one of "101 Trailblazers Changing the World in Business." As a recognized Supplier Diversity Expert, Matt has collaborated with some of the world’s largest corporations, the UK Cabinet Office, the UK Department for Business & Trade, and the US Department of Commerce, further solidifying his reputation as a leader in driving economic inclusivity on a global scale.
Matthew Osmond
Director of Marketing & Business Development (Industrial Water & Energy)

Matthew Osmond is an accomplished industry leader with over two decades of experience in sustainable resource management. As the Director of Marketing & Business Development for Industrial, Water & Energy at Veolia UK, he spearheads the company's marketing initiatives and drives the development of innovative, complex solutions in water management, energy services, and total waste management for industrial clients.
Having joined Veolia in 1999, Matthew has demonstrated long-term commitment and deep industry knowledge. He led the development of outsourced recycling and recovery solutions for regional and national commercial clients, supporting their ESG goals and enhancing sustainability practices.
Since 2023, Matthew has led Sales & Business Development teams in creating collaborative, cutting-edge solutions across three key sectors: Water (Municipal & Industrial Water Cycle Management, Process Water Efficiency, Water Recycling & Effluent Solutions), Energy (Decarbonised Building Energy Services, District Heating & Heat Networks, Technical Hard FM Asset Management, Energy Flexibility & BioEnergy), and Waste (Industrial Total Waste & Resource Management, Industrial Site Services & Decommissioning).
Matthew's strategic vision extends beyond business development; he currently leads
Veolia's Marketing function, focusing on elevating the company's brand presence and refining marketing strategies to solidify Veolia's position as a market leader in key service areas and growth markets across the UK. With his extensive experience and forward-thinking approach, Matthew continues to drive Veolia UK's growth and innovation in sustainable resource management, helping clients achieve their environmental goals while optimising operational efficiency.
Michael Noone
Head of Experis Academy UK

Michael has worked for Experis for over 20 years and leads our Experis Academy, bringing together industry leading training providers with experts from global brands to deliver bespoke training solutions for customers to access sustainable and cost effective talent pipelines for difficult to hire skillsets. Michael’s responsibilities include: ownership of overall delivery of Academy programmes, creation of programmes aligned to building capabilities for our customers.
Natalie Desty
Natalie Desty, Founder, STEM Returners

Natalie Desty is the Founder and Director of STEM Returners, an award-winning solution to an industry wide problem. After building a progressive career in recruitment, where she was Director of Maritime Engineering at a large recruitment company, Natalie was struck by the apparent lack of progress in diversity and inclusion within STEM industries. She was particularly concerned by the insurmountable barriers that people who have had a career break face, when wanting to return to STEM roles and so set up STEM Returners (in 2017) to work with leading STEM organisations to change the way they view professionals who have a career break.
Neil Jackson
Group Senior Sustainable Procurement Manager

Neil Jackson is a Senior Sustainable Procurement Manager for BAE Systems Plc. He is responsible for overseeing the Social Value aspects of Sustainability, including the development of the BAE Systems UK SME Action Plan. Neil has worked for BAE Systems for over 25 years and has extensive experience in Supply Chain and Business Management across both the Air and the Maritime Sectors. He has led the Supply Chain Sustainability activities within one of the largest Business Units and has a passion for delivering real business performance in this vital field.
Neil really enjoys working with people and has a natural interest in learning and development. This stems from his previous Commissioned Officer roles as both a Flying and a Small Arms Instructor within the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Training) Branch. He continues his affiliation with the Air Cadet Organisation through his current role as Chair of a local Air Cadet Squadron.
Neil has a desire to build upon the BAE Systems UK SME action Plan through developing connections and improving ways in which SMEs can connect with relevant areas of the business. He is also committed to sharing our Sustainability journey through connecting with great Social Value opportunities such as the UK Armed Forces Covenant.
Neil Young
Engineering & Technology Director

Neil is the Engineering & Technology Director, within the Marine Sector of Babcock International Group. He also heads up the wider Babcock Group Engineering Leadership Team.
As Engineering Director, he is responsible for 1,000 engineers with a strong focus on marine systems and ship design in both in-service support and new builds. His engineering team ranges from concept engineering, which manages the Royal Navy’s Naval Design Partnership; new naval ship designs such as T31; in-service support for naval surface ships and submarines. Neil is also responsible for the Digital Facility development at Rosyth, heading up the Innovation team there.
Neil is a visiting Professor at the University of Edinburgh and was instrumental in the generation of an Innovation Campus on Babcock’s Rosyth Facility in partnership with University of Edinburgh, Strathclyde, Fife College and Fife Council. The first operational technology center is the University of Edinburgh’s FastBlade facility that will allow accelerated fatigue testing facility for tidal blades.
Neil also Co-Chairs the Academic Interface working group as part of the Defence Suppliers Forum People and Skills group.
Before joining Babcock Neil spent 20 years in the oil and gas industry working globally and delivering 50+ Floating Production Storage and Offloading systems (FPSOs), used for deep water oil field development. He also managed a technology portfolio with wide ranging technologies from water treatment, solids transportation, separation and waste to energy.
Neil is a Chemical Engineer by profession and a Fellow of the Institute of Chemical Engineers. Neil is also a visiting professor with the University of Edinburgh.
Niall McManus
Senior Solutions Analyst

Niall McManus is a Senior Solutions Analyst at Sayari, with six years of experience in Defence. He has held various roles within the UK Government, focusing on intelligence analysis, science and technology innovation, and data analytics.
Niall specialises in network analysis, graph technologies, and entity resolution, and holds an MSc in Data Analytics from the University of London and a BSc in Geography from the University of Glasgow.
Nick Barras
Head of Professional Service and Contract Management

Nick Barras has worked in Commercial, Procurement, BPO and Business Transformation for over 20 years. With a background in management consulting, he has worked across many industries such as Consulting, life sciences, BPO, FM, Mining, Infrastructure, Aviation, IT and Telecoms, NHS, Public Sector as well as geographies covering from South-East Asia to the Americas and Europe.
He has led a wide variety of procurement and business transformation programmes and several large Procurement and Commercial teams for a variety of public and private sector clients. He has also owned and delivered significant commercial programmes in both the public and private sectors.
Nick joined Defence Digital in March 2019 as Head of Contract Management, SANGCOM and the Professional Services category. He joined Defence Digital, formerly Defence Information Systems and Services cluster within Strategic Command, to deal with the unique challenges of scale and complexity which exist in IT within MoD, which don’t exist anywhere else in the private sector or public sector. He is using his extensive background and Commercial acumen to drive better engagement and alignment with the business while also driving better and more meaningful engagement with industry and key partners.
More recently, Nick has delivered the Crown Commercial Services Digital and IT Professional Services Framework, which is operated by his Professional Services team. The DIPS Framework is designed to help change how we deliver Digital outcomes in defence by working closely with DIPS partners to co-design and co-create better solutions and outcomes for Defence.
Nicky Gardiner
UK Sustainable Procurement Capability Lead

Nicky leads on all things skills and engagement around Sustainable Procurement, focussing on sourcing and developing training and learning resources. We support both our internal community and also our SME suppliers with the aim of providing first class material to enhance Sustainable Procurement skills and knowledge to help us achieve our ESG aims with the supply chain.
She has been with MBDA since 2009 and held various roles in the business including Chief of Staff to the Deputy Managing Director and Head of UK Sites Procurement.
Nicky is a qualified personal development coach and has had the privilege of using both within the business and also with a handful of external private clients.
She's a mentor and mental health ally in MBDA and also contributes to the Company's People Management Community panel, connecting inspiring and supporting people managers to lead thriving teams.
Nicola Barnett
Senior Relationship Manager

Nicola graduated from Newcastle University with a degree in Chemistry. She worked for Proctor and Gamble for a year supporting the analytical division testing laundry and dish detergents. She then moved into QC in pharmaceuticals for two years before moving to Reading to start at AWE.
In the nine years Nicola has worked at AWE she has been an analytical chemist within the explosives area, representing AWE at technical conferences and meetings and moving into managing science and engineering graduates and the development scheme. For the last two years she has worked in the External Technical Partnerships Office helping to pioneer AWE's reintroduction to the UK marketplace, industry partnerships and ways to innovate our technologies and processes.
Nicola Cox
Group Leader Engineering

Nicky has worked at AWE for over 20 years as Systems Engineer and Engineering Manager, now leading a department of 190 construction and engineering managers who work in multi-disciplinary, technical teams. Nicky’s role is to sustain and enhance the competent technical engineering capability needed to deliver AWE’s multi-year and multi-billion pound infrastructure programme, and she is accountable for engineering people capability, resource management, processes, tools and systems.
Patrick Cahill
Deputy Director and Space Sector Lead

Patrick is responsible for growing the operational and commercial benefits of the Networks, Telecoms and Space Solutions available to all UK Public Sector organisations through Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Frameworks and Purchasing Systems.
Before joining CCS, Patrick was Deputy Director in the Cabinet Office’s Strategic Partnering Programme with responsibility for developing Suppliers to the UK Space Sector and the Strategic
Partner Management of five of the top twenty ICT Strategic Suppliers to the UK Central Government.
He was involved in supporting the then Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) in the development of the National Space Strategy and with the Crown Commercial Service in the construction of a Dynamic Purchasing System that gives the Public Sector better access to products and solutions enabled from outer space to improve key public services such as healthcare, the environment, transportation and infrastructure.
He joined the Cabinet Office in May 2014 after a 20 year career in senior management roles with IT companies Sun Microsystems and Dell Computers where he managed commercial operations in the UK, Europe, USA and Asia/Pacific regions and completed international assignments in the USA, Netherlands and Singapore. Patrick holds a BEng. in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the University of Strathclyde.
Paul Ceely
Director of Technology Strategy

Paul Ceely is responsible for the medium to long-term technology strategy for Digital Catapult, looking at future digital technology landscape and identifying priority areas to focus on. In addition he leads Emerging Technology within Digital Catapult including Quantum Technologies and Digital Security.
Paul has over 25 years’ experience in technology strategy and network strategy, covering mobile, internet, security, quantum and technology evolution in general. He led network strategy in the operators BT and EE in the UK, developing the 5G strategy for BT, was instrumental in the strategy for EE’s 4G launch in 2012, as well as taking a leading role in the network strategy during the merger of BT and EE, and Orange and T-Mobile to become EE. He played a fundamental role in the set up of SONIC Labs, a DCMS funded facility and collaborative programme for testing the interoperability and integration of open, multi-vendor, software-centric networks. He graduated from Cambridge University in Physics, focusing on astrophysics and quantum.
Paul Larcey
Security & Defence

Paul studied engineering and materials science and initially worked in corporate R&D before moving into Venture Capital for a US company. After an MBA at Imperial College, he moved into senior executive roles with two global industrial companies involved in mechanical engineering and construction materials respectively.
After four years working in Private Equity on re-structuring and performance enhancement, he started my own consultancy focusing on advisory services for fund raising and strategy in infrastructure projects and technology companies.
Paul has substantial experience in change management, NPD, strategic global marketing of technologies and knowledge of a wide range of overseas markets and business cultures. He is also a research associate at the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge, where he has collaborated on projects around risk and resilience in specific areas of materials and civil engineering.
Phil Blunden
Asst Hd Cyber Supply Chain Security

Phil Blunden has recently become the [temporary] Assistant Head of Cyber Supply Chain Security. He has been in the team for five years as the Engagement Manager. Over the last 2 years he has been running the “interim process”, a short temporary solution to the online tool. Overall he has worked in Defence for over 20 years, including information security and being an application developer.
Professor John Louth
Strategic Advisor

Professor Louth was in the military between 1987 and 2004 before turning his attention to commerce and academia. As an author, academic and business leader, his passion is to explore, understand and explain the complexities of defence capability generation and management drawn from a multi-faceted public-private enterprise, embracing defence prime contractors, technologists, SMEs, the armed forces, families, investors and governments.
Between 2011 and 2019, John was the director of the defence, industries and society research programme at RUSI. He was also the Professor of Defence Management at the University of Roehampton Business School in London. John advised the Colombian government on defence industrial reform as part of the peace process, chaired the UK-Australian Defence Maritime Collaboration Dialogue in London and Sydney and was the independent chair of the MoD-Industry Nuclear Engineering Skills Review. Between 2012 and 2024, John was a specialist adviser to the UK House of Commons’ Defence Select Committee. Before Brexit, he was the UK’s representative to the EU on its annual defence capability review. He is a non-executive director of Subsea Craft and a strategic adviser to IBM, Pagefield, RSA and Redstone Risk, as well as a collaborating professor with the University of South Australia in Adelaide, where he has developed an Executive Defence MBA.
Richard Whalley
Head of Exports and Sales

Richard Whalley has over 35 years of operational and leadership experience in UK Defence. He and his team support UK prosperity by delivering and managing a programme of Government Defence Exports and Sales to allies and partners.
The team are based across the UK, with a Head Office in Bristol, and form part of the UK MOD’s Defence Equipment and Support organisation (DE&S).
The team provides the Government-to-Government gateway to access acquisition expertise from DE&S as well as the direct sale of surplus UK military capabilities and systems; they work
closely with the MOD Trade teams, Defence Security Exports in the Department for Business and Trade, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office and others, to provide a “One Defence” approach to global exports.
Rob Saunders
Principal Intelligence Officer

Rob Saunders is a Principal Intelligence Officer within the Specialist Intelligence Unit of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s primary competition and consumer law enforcement agency. Rob has been at the CMA since 2015 and has worked in both the investigation and intelligence teams. He acted as Lead Investigator on a number of civil cartel cases before moving to the intelligence team to manage projects focussed on spreading awareness of competition law and proactively identifying anti-competitive behaviour.
Rory O’Hagan
Principal

Rory leads the Living team at Arcadis UK Architecture + Urbanism. An award-winning and innovative architect, Rory possesses a wealth of experience in designing and delivering residential and mixed-use projects globally, particularly in the UK, he has a proven track record in projects ranging from £50-250 million.
He is a dedicated sustainability advocate with a vested interest in sustainability-driven design of buildings, communities and cities enabled by digital technology and underscored by a commitment to people and planet positive design.
Russell McKinlay
Principal Data Scientist

Russell is a Principal Data Scientist within Cyber and Information Systems Division at Dstl. His main interests are in the areas of sensor fusion and autonomous sensor management with a number of years of experience working on technical projects in these areas.
He currently leads the sensor fusion and management project within the future sensing and PNT programme. Russell holds Masters and PhD degrees in chemistry from Heriot-Watt University.
Sam Zwolinski
Partnerships & Impact Partner

Sam Zwolinski, DASA
Sam Zwolinski is DASA’s Partnerships & Impact Partner for the Royal Navy, Defence Nuclear Enterprise, and Climate Change & Sustainability. Prior to joining DASA in 2021 Sam has worked in analytical roles for the Royal Navy and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).
Samira Braund, Defence Director, ADS
Defence Director

ADS is the UK trade association advancing leadership in aerospace, defence, security and space, to enable prosperity and clean, secure growth for our nation.
Scott Zonfrillo
DCI Senior Business Development Manager

Scott is a Senior Business Development Manager for the Defence Contracts International service at BiP Solutions. For over eight years, he has been helping SMEs and Prime Contractors grow and build their share of the public sector and defence marketplaces and move them onto the next level. Prior to this he spent over 10 years in the Armed Forces, so has a good understanding of the end user.
Stacey Crump
Impact Lead

Stacey Crump is a member of the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) Senior Management team and Group Leader responsible for Partnerships and Impact. Stacey has a wealth of knowledge and experience having worked within Defence for over 25 years, operating in areas which include large scale transformation and innovation within Human Resources, Medical and Dental, Electromagnetic Spectrum sharing and digital for Defence. This has seen Stacey work with regulatory authorities, large and small private sector organisations, charities and at every level of Government.
In her current role Stacey leads three of the underpinning teams in DASA – Defence, Security and Business Growth and Finance. The teams are heavily focussed on building and sustaining collaborative partnerships across the National Security ecosystem. Delivering services to help build the business behind innovation, nurturing suppliers of innovation for the national security market.
Steve Collins
Programme Manager

ADS is the UK trade association advancing leadership in aerospace, defence, security and space, to enable prosperity and clean, secure growth for our nation.
Steven Wood
Head of Industry Practice (Aerospace, Defence & Security)

A digital transformation specialist, Steven Wood is a Senior Commercial Manager for Digital Catapult. Responsible for helping large, established companies (Thales, Seagate Technology, Pwc, ViiV Healthcare, Visa etc) to undergo successful digital transformation he provides a primary interface between the Digital Catapult and businesses in the UK. Steven is also the Catapult’s market lead for DLT technology (Blockchain).
Bringing over 20 years’ experience of working in the digital sector, Steven was responsible for writing BT’s first e-business strategy for B2B clients and turning the concepts into actual services.
Steven also co-founded a start-up venture which grew to operate in seven countries and served over 600 companies in the global advertising and publishing industries. Prior to joining the Digital Catapult, Steven was Head of Business Services at EngineeringUK, an organisation which led the way in encouraging young people to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
Stewart Woods
Cybersecurity CTO

Stewart is the head of cyber within Thales UK, where he provides technical and strategic leadership to embedding and assuring cybersecurity and resilience within Thales products, solutions and services.
With a rich view of cybersecurity and resilience best practice across numerous verticals and technologies, Stewart also directly supports MOD’s development of its Secure by Design approach and was a key contributor to the recently released Defence Standard for cybersecurity and resilience in products solutions and services; DefStan 05-139.
He was previously employed within the Cyber Competency Centre as the Cyber Design Authority, where his responsible was for the oversight and provision of guidance and specialist input to the embedding of Cyber Security and Resilience into Thales Products, Solutions and Services.
Prior to joining Thales, Stewart had a rich career in the Royal Air Force. His career as both an Aircraft and Communications and Cyber Engineer placed him in key technical, operational and strategic roles. Throughout his career he has applied, with great effect, his unusual combination of deep technical and strong strategic and business skills. Stewart has succeeded in numerous leadership roles focused upon Air-Cyber Capability Development and Delivery. During his time at Aircraft Test and Evaluation Boscombe Down, he oversaw the assurance of integrating safety critical, smart weapons and Combat Aircraft digital system upgrades.
Whilst supporting Joint Forces Command, he led the conceptual and practical development of Offensive and Defensive Cyber Operations within the UK, focusing upon the full breadth of Information Systems, Industrial Control Systems, Platforms and Weapons. Responsible for delivering the MOD and wider government Cyber Programme, Stewart received an award from the MOD Permanent Secretary for his contribution to pioneering cyber policy and would be regularly required to brief Defence board members.
During his final years in the MOD, he delivered the MOD Cyber Programme and was the 1-Star MOD lead for the development of the UK Cyber Force.
Suzanne Carlisle
Senior Commercial Manager

Suzanne joined Dstl in 2019 as part of Defence Commercial, supporting the Dstl Counter Terrorism and Security Division. She is also the Senior Commercial Manager, responsible for RCloud – Dstl’s dynamic route to market for research and development services - and oversees the team who look after the day to day running of the agreement.
Thomas Lightfoot
Commercial Head Hardware and Services

Thomas (Tom) is a natural leader with experience in a wide range of environments and operations having previously worked in Oil and Gas, Security, and the British Army.
Tom joined Defence Digital in 2019 and is responsible for delivering IT capability to support fixed and deployed end users both at home and on operations. As current Head of Hardware and Services he is accountable for approximately £900m of digital contract spend across Defence.
Prior to joining Defence Digital Tom worked in Defence Equipment and Support, more specifically the Submarine Delivery Agency, where he was responsible for the commercial management of the nuclear element of the sub-surface fleet.
Before joining the Ministry of Defence, Tom has held several commercial roles in the private sector, and has also worked in consultancy, security, business operations and project management roles.
Tom graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (MCIPS) and holds an MBA from Durham University Business school specialising in Leadership, Logistics and Management.
Tilly Harvey
Deputy Director, Professional Services

Tilly is sourcing and procurement professional with over 23 years experience. She has a track record in delivering complex solutions across various industries. With expertise in managing significant categories of spend - including Consultancy, Audit, Research & Innovation and Legal Services, Tilly focuses on establishing commercial strategies that require innovation, drive change and deliver value to customers and the UK taxpayer.
Tim Sheldon
Chief Delivery Officer

Dr. Tim Sheldon is the Chief Delivery Officer at Dstl, having taken on the role in April 2024. In this position, he supports the Chief Executive in managing the complex portfolio of defense and security work. He coordinates work across Dstl's Science & Technology (S&T) delivery units, while also overseeing the development and sustainability of S&T capabilities. His responsibilities include implementing a streamlined process for stakeholders to engage with Dstl, prioritizing demands, and ensuring the highest-impact outcomes.
Dr. Sheldon's career began after completing a Chemistry degree at Edinburgh University and a PhD in Organic Chemistry at Oxford. He joined the MoD in 1993, progressing through various roles in procurement and project management. Notable roles include leading the Defence Logistics Performance Management Programme and modernizing the Cost Assurance and Analysis Service (CAAS). In 2018, he became Head of Submarine Production, overseeing the delivery of Astute-class submarines, and later advanced to Director of Submarine Acquisition, responsible for major Royal Navy submarine projects. Throughout his career, Dr. Sheldon has played key roles in defense acquisition and transformation programs.
Tom McDonald
Director

Tom McDonald is currently a Director at the UK National Audit Office, where he is responsible for leading value for money audit work on defence and national security expenditure. He has worked at the NAO since 2001 and has focused his career on the defence, health and international sectors. Since 2015 he has also been the NAO’s lead Director for cyber security across the UK public sector. Between 2010 and 2013 he was seconded to the Department for International Development to establish and run the Independent Commission for Aid Impact.
Before his NAO career, he worked in international affairs research and acted as an overseas election observer on behalf of the UN, EU and OSCE. He has degrees in modern languages, international relations and management from Bristol University and Ashridge Business School and is a fellow of the Centre for Science and Policy at Cambridge University.
Tracey North
Business Growth & Finance Lead

Tracey leads the Business Growth and Finance team at DASA . The Business Growth and Finance team provides a suite of 1 to 1 support services to SMEs to help them become business, funding and supply chain ready . Our team of specialists bring their extensive experience from the worlds of consulting, business banking and company support to offer DASA funded companies the assistance they need to identify and access the expertise and funding required to scale, grow and supply into the defence & security sectors.
Tracey draws on her expertise from supporting portfolios of businesses in 30 years plus as a Senior Relationship Manager with a high street bank and meeting their complex funding and growth requirements.
Vice Admiral Andy Kyte
Chief of Defence Logistics and Support (CDLS)

Vice Admiral Kyte joined the Royal Navy as a Logistics Officer in 1987. Junior appointments included tours in the aircraft carrier HMS ARK ROYAL, Type 21 frigate HMS ACTIVE, and the staff of the Senior Naval Officer Northern Ireland. Roles as a Lieutenant Commander included the Logistic Officer of the Type 22 frigate HMS CHATHAM, on the staff at Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth and as the Deputy Base Logistics Officer in His Majesty’s Naval Base Devonport.
Promoted to Commander in 2002, staff tours included Flag Officer Sea Training and the Permanent Joint Headquarters. In 2006, he joined the amphibious assault ship HMS BULWARK as Commander Logistics, before moving to the Equipment Capability area of the Ministry of Defence, responsible for the Navy’s replacement support shipping programme.
He joined the Army’s 8 Engineer Brigade on promotion to Captain in February 2009, deploying later that year to Afghanistan as the Deputy Commander of the Joint Force Support HQ. He then took up the appointment of Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff (Logistic Operations and Plans) in Navy Command before assuming the post of Secretary to the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff.
On promotion to Commodore in August 2014, he became the Head of Defence Logistic Operations before taking command of the Standing Joint Force Logistic HQ and deploying to Oman for SAIF SAREEA 3. He assumed the role of Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Support Operations) and Chief Naval Logistic Officer in November 2018 on promotion to Rear Admiral. Responsible for the provision of strategic level policy, planning and direction in support of current and contingent operations, his tenure was dominated by the logistic challenges created by BREXIT, COVID and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He recently led a study for CDS focused on increasing Defence outputs and undertook a sabbatical with industry before assuming the post of Chief of Defence Logistics and Support on promotion to Vice Admiral in September 2023.
Admiral Kyte is a graduate of the Higher Command and Staff Course and the London Business School. He holds a BA in Modern History and an MA in Defence Studies, is President of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Surfing Association, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and is the Armed Forces Jewish Faith Champion. Admiral Kyte is the Chair of the Association of Royal Naval Officers and its sister Charity, the Royal Naval Officers Charity. He was appointed a Companion of the Bath in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List for leadership of Defence’s response to the COVID pandemic.
Victoria Cope
Commercial Director

Victoria is an experienced senior leader, with a multidisciplinary background and track record of achievement. Focused on strategic commercial leadership and effective relationship management to deliver tangible results for businesses and individuals alike.
Victoria has over 15 years’ experience in the Aerospace and Defence sector and has worked within corporate procurement, finance, sales, commercial, programme management and investor relations functions within FTSE100/250 organisations including BAE Systems, QinetiQ, Airbus and Unilever.
Victoria’s achievements were recognised by The Times & Sunday Times in 2019 as winner of We Are the City Top 100 Women Rising Star 2019 – Defence. Victoria was also awarded the Marshall of Cambridge Medal by the Duke of Edinburgh in 2012 for contribution to the aerospace industry.
Victoria is a chartered Aeronautical Engineer by background and holds an Executive MBA from Henley Business School. Victoria is a Non-Executive Council Member of The Air League Trust and trustee of the Inspiring Leadership Trust and plays competitive badminton in her spare time.