Aerospace & Defence

The aerospace & defence sector is undergoing considerable change, especially as the credit crunch continues to make life increasingly challenging - airlines postpone deliveries and defence budgets are cut by cash-strapped national economies.  On the civil side, established multinationals will continue to dominate with large platforms.  Companies that are producing more efficient turbo-prop regional aircraft are still experiencing demand.  Further down the supply-chain, smaller companies are collaborating in new ways in order to gain access to major new international programmes.  In the UK the new Defence Industrial Strategy is eagerly awaited.  The MoD is streamlining its procurement processes and outsourcing increasingly to private sector industry, not only for equipment, but also for support services, including training. 

Apart from seeking new skills from outside the sector in business leadership roles, clients are also increasingly demanding upgraded skills in programme management, supply chain and operations, as well as in business development and export sales.  The decline of defined conventional threats, and the emergence of ‘asymmetric’ warfare and terrorism has heightened the requirement for thought-leadership and specialists in homeland security and information assurance, which is now drawing telecoms and IT companies into the defence sector.

Representative Assignments

• Aircraft Research Association, Chief Executive Officer

• Babcock International plc, Group Head of PFI

• Chemring Group plc, Sales & Marketing Director

• Defence Manufacturers Association, Director-General   

• Doncasters Group Limited, Managing Director, Turbine Airfoils

• DRS UK, Managing Director

• Fujitsu, Managing Director, Defence& Security

• GCHQ, Non-Executive Director

• Marshalls Aerospace, Head of Aerostructures

• Meggitt plc, Engineering Director, Vibrometer

• Rolls-Royce plc, Strategy Director, Defence Aerospace

• Rolls-Royce plc, Human Resources Director, Civil Aerospace

• Royal United Services Institute, Director-General   

• Smiths Aerospace, Managing Director, Flight Controls

• Thales Aerospace, Managing Director

• Thales Aerospace, Operations Director

• Thales Air Systems, Operations Director, Missile Electronics

• Thales Land & Joint, Managing Director

• Thales Optronics, Managing Director

• Thales UK, Head of Internal Audit

• Vector Aerospace, Human Resources Director, UK

• Vector Aerospace, Managing Director UK