Morag Stuart is Director General Commercial at Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S). Her previous roles include Transformation Director/Acquisition Transformation at MOD, and Director General Improvement at (DE&S) and Director of Commercial at MOD.

Helen is part of MOD’s senior commercial leadership team and has a wealth of experience in leading and delivering results in high value and complex procurements and programmes, developing commercial strategies and shaping markets, transforming and delivering commercial operations and more recently supply chain resilience and policy. She is a member of the Government Commercial Function, has experience operating at Exec level within the MOD and Crown Commercial Service and in dealing with Ministers and Industry Leaders. Her remit is aimed at enabling a vibrant, resilient and sustainable defence supply chain.

Anita Friend is the Head of the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) which finds and funds exploitable innovation for UK defence and security quickly and effectively, whilst boosting UK prosperity. In this role, she has placed strong emphasis on taking a collaborative approach across defence, security and industry – enhancing DASA’s service offering to deliver the best solutions for our customers and to help our suppliers grow their business. She has sought to ensure DASA finds ideas from a diverse range of sources and provides services which accelerate and facilitate the turning of great ideas into benefits for defence and our national security.  Anita joined DASA with over 10 years’ experience of working in National Security leadership roles in both Home Office and Cabinet Office. Before moving into the National Security field, Anita started her career in social research working in the private sector. Outside of work, Anita enjoys spending time with her husband and young children, countryside walking and travel.

As one of the first former UK Special Forces members to talk openly to the media and reveal their true identity, Matthew ‘Ollie’ Ollerton has an incredible story to tell. A former Special Forces operative with both the SAS and SBS, Ollie has undertaken operations in some of the most dangerous and remote locations on the planet and is one of the most highly trained fighters in the world.
After leaving school and joining the Royal Marine Commandos, Ollie’s exploits in Northern Ireland Iraq soon earned him recommendation for the SAS. After joining the Special Boat Service, he undertook high profile missions involving hostage rescue, counter narcotics and counter terrorism, amongst other things. Ollie then went on to use his expertise as a private bodyguard where he was responsible for employing and training a 2,000 strong Iraqi guard force, before heading to South-East Asia to command a three man team infiltrating child trafficking rings, a cause that is still close to his heart today.
Once Ollie returned to the UK in 2014 after 13 years overseas, he started developing a concept that would put these years of training and experience to best use and would benefit others. With this, BREAK-POINT was born; a leadership and development course aimed at the public and corporate sector also supporting veterans suffering the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Angela’s Army career spanned 30 years and included tours in the UK, Germany and NI during the ‘Troubles’. One of the very first mothers to re-join after the rules changed in the early 90s, Angela has always cared deeply about helping women progress with a passion for equality of opportunity. After leaving the Army in 2008, she joined PA Consulting, working in the Defence and Security Sector. In 2011, Angela founded Women in Defence UK, best known for its annual Awards, now in their 6^th year, ground-breaking cross defence sector mentoring programme and its collaborative work with the MOD and industry on the Women in Defence Charter.

In addition to Women in Defence UK, Angela is a Senior Advisor to PA Consulting, member of the CMI Women’s Committee, a Vice Patron of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets Council, a Companion of the CMI and a judge for the CMI Management Book of the Year. She has recently reprised her early (Commonwealth Games and Combined Services) athletics career and enjoys sprinting in Masters competitions, albeit much more slowly than in the 1980s.  She was appointed OBE in the New Years’ Honours List 2021 for her services to women who work in the Defence Sector. An exceptionally proud mother of a son and daughter, she is now an equally proud grandmother of two glorious granddaughters!    

Dougal is responsible for the identification and development of large long term strategic projects for KBR Government Solutions with the intent of delivering a step change in the growth of the organisation.  Additionally he has responsibility for strategy, communications and marketing across the region.

Dougal joined KBR as a graduate in 1998 initially working on the West Coast Mainline Upgrade Project before returning to Leatherhead to act as the Chief of Staff for the then Government Solutions CEO.  He subsequently went on to work on a range of defence projects from the Heavy Equipment Transporter PFI through to Temporary Deployed Accommodation (TDA) in Iraq as well as being seconded into the Permanent Joint Headquarters, Northwood.  Moving overseas Dougal was part of the successful Yas Island project management team delivering the first Abu Dhabi F1 grand prix before working in the oil and gas industry for a few years where his most recent role was as the head of the KBR Chennai office where he set up KBR’s new office and grew the team from 11 to 350.

Brinley joined the Defence Manufacturers Association (DMA), at first on a temporary basis, in July 1985, having graduated from Sheffield University with a BA in Ancient History & Classical Civilisation. He worked for the DMA in a number of roles, before being appointed to the position of Exports Director in June 1999. In October 2009, on the creation of ADS through the merger of the DMA, APPSS and SBAC, he became the new organisation’s Director - Overseas & Exports.

The vast majority of his work at present constitutes providing ethical, offset, industrial participation and export controls-related help, advice and assistance to British companies. In this capacity he acts as Secretary to the Export Group for Aerospace, Defence & Dual-Use (EGADD), the Business Ethics Network (BEN), the Defence Export Strategy Group (DESG), and the British Industrial Participation & Offset Group (BIPOG) special interest groups.

As Secretary to EGADD, he tries to provide help and advice to companies on export control matters and liaises closely with the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU), Ministry of Defence (UK), Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), Department for International Development (DfID) and Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC), as well as with other Industry bodies and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). He is also a Member of the Board of the London Trade Roundtable (LTR) as well as of the Export Control Profession (ECP).