Background:

At the tender age of 17 I passed my pilots licence and dodged taking over the family business by signing up for a 20 year commission in the Royal Air Force. I trained initially as a pilot before graduating in 1985 as a combat ready Air Battle Manager and doing a real smorgasbord of land-based tours and sea-borne deployments in the UK, Near East, and Central and South America. I also spent a lot of time teaching and examining, both as controller and as a qualified weapons instructor (QWI). Along the way I somehow picked up a reputation for thinking ‘differently’ from other people! Latterly, I became the UK MOD’s head of delegation to a number of international boards dealing with information systems. After a stint at the UK’s defence acquisition agency I was recruited by STASYS (now Lockheed Martin). In April 2005 Matt and I met an old friend in a pub and remembered an idea we’d had some years earlier to start a business together. Within weeks we had formed 3SDL. We now provide independent acquisition support to our clients, and in doing so derive a lot of professional satisfaction - and enough money to fund the odd night out down the pub with our friends.

Specialist Skills:

My specialist consultancy area is in the scoping and rationalisation of complex defence and security projects and identifying solutions and pathways where others might struggle. I also have a keen understanding of the relationships between procurement and sustainment and have a proven track record of bringing diverse stakeholder groups together for mutual benefit.

Personal:

I’m divorced but have 3 great children that spend time with me every week and live close-by. I share my time between chairing our board, helping our team leaders develop new business and helping my children to be successful so that they can keep me in my old age. I think a lot about things, often seeing what others don’t see straight away. But I believe that there is nothing we haven’t seen before, it just looks different (or we have simply just forgotten how we did it the last time).

Favourite Saying:

'Life is all about choices and responsibilities.'