Luke Pollard was appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence on 6 September 2025.

He was previously Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Defence from 9 July 2024 to 6 September 2025. He was elected as the MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport in July 2024.

Minister of State (Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry)
-implementation of relevant SDR Vision and Recommendations
-oversight of the National Armaments Director Group
-departmental communications strategy and reform
-armed forces readiness and stockpiles
-Defence procurement, including reform and UK Defence Innovation
-submarine delivery
-Defence Industrial Strategy implementation and growth
-Defence Exports Campaign and Office
-Defence Readiness Bill
-Ukraine support - military aid and industrial partnerships, including HIRST and KINDRED
-Defence industry relationships and the Defence Industrial Joint Council
-acquisition reform/UK Defence Innovation
-climate change and sustainability
-Defence estates, accommodation and Defence Infrastructure Organisation
-artificial intelligence and innovation
-science and technology
-Defence Afghanistan Relocation and Assistance Programme (ARAP) including eligibility applications and asylum
-oversight of Parliamentary engagement

Rupert Pearce is the UK’s National Armaments Director (NAD) and a member of the Defence Board, as a 4*/Permanent Secretary grade civil servant.
Rupert has spent over40 years as an accomplished business leader with a distinguished career spanning law, technology, telecommunications, energy, and venture capital. With extensive experience as a CEO, chairman, and venture partner, and has a proven track record of driving growth, innovation, and transformation in global, high-growth, and capital-intensive businesses.
As a Venture Partner and Chair of UK-based tech companies and venture capital firms Rupert has advised on investment strategies, supported portfolio companies, and identified new opportunities in the technology sector.
From 2012 to 2021, Rupert was CEO of Inmarsat plc, a FTSE 100 global leader in mobile satellite communications. During his tenure, he oversaw the launch of six satellites, the development of the groundbreaking Global Xpress broadband network, and the establishment of market-leading business units in aviation, maritime, defence and government sectors. He also led Inmarsat’s transition to private ownership in one of the largest take-private deals on the London Stock Exchange.
Rupert began his career as a lawyer, rising to become an equity partner at the international law firm Linklaters, where he spent 13 years specialising in corporate finance, M&A and private equity transactions.
Beyond his executive roles, Rupert has contributed to industry and government initiatives, including serving on the UK Government’s Trade Advisory Group for telecom services, the ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission, and the boards of TechUK and the Smart Africa Initiative. He is also a published author and former Visiting Fellow at Imperial College London.
An Oxford graduate with a First-Class BA and MA in Modern History, Rupert also completed a Fulbright Fellowship in US Securities Law at Georgetown University. He is married with three children.
His career reflects a commitment to innovation, leadership, and delivering transformative results across diverse industries.

Jim Carter is the Director General Commercial and Industry.

Jim brings extensive experience from both the public and private sectors and has served as Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) Commercial Director since 2020. Prior to this, Jim held senior Commercial and Procurement roles in the Cabinet Office, Network Rail, and Cable and Wireless.

Jim steps into this leadership role at a crucial time for the UK Ministry of Defence and Commercial, as MOD implements the recommendations from the Strategic Defence Review and drive forward the Defence Reform Programme.

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.

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.

Michael Spiteri is the Gartner Consulting Regional Lead for UK & Ireland. Michael brings over 35 years of industry experience in senior leadership roles focused on growth and innovation. Michael’s deep experience from hands on delivery, managing complex supply chains and leading technology implementations has been earned across multiple industries, from start ups through to FTSE 100 Companies. His past roles have included Chief Digital Officer of Santander UK and Group COO for HSBC, which included the Innovation portfolio.    Michael has also held advisory roles in technology start ups and was a Non Executive Director in a publicly listed company.

Victoria joined Defence Digital in May 2023 as Commercial Director with responsibility for functional leadership of the directorate and commercial leadership of digital across the defence enterprise.

The enterprise focus includes digital category management, commercial optimisation & market innovation.

Prior to joining Defence Digital Victoria was the Commercial & Category Director for the UK Health Security Agency within the Government Commercial Function. Where she established and led the Commercial and Business Development functions.

Victoria has over 20 years’ experience in the Defence & Security sector, leading corporate procurement, commercial and finance functions within FTSE100/250 organisations including BAE Systems, QinetiQ, Airbus, Unilever and the UK Health Security Agency.

Victoria’s achievements were recognised by World Commerce and Contracting in the Inspiring Women list 2023. The Times & Sunday Times in 2019 as the winner of We Are the City Top 100 Women 2019 – Defence. Victoria was also awarded the Marshall of Cambridge Medal by the Duke of Edinburgh for her contribution to the industry.

Victoria is a chartered Aeronautical Engineer by background and holds an Executive MBA from Henley Business School. Victoria is a Fellow and Global Advisory Board Member of World Commerce & Contracting, a Non-Executive Council Member of The Air League Trust and a Non- Executive Director and Chair of Audit, Risk & Assurance Committee of the Inspiring Leadership Foundation

Prof. Annette Weekes MBE is Vice President and General Manager of Senior Aerospace Weston. The Senior Aerospace Weston sites are located in Earby, Lancashire. Senior Aerospace Weston is a leading supplier of a wide range of complex precision machined components and assemblies for OEM’s. Working across both the commercial aviation sector as well as defence the business which was founded in 1948 and has a strong heritage in East Lancashire and has grown into a globally competitive business.

Annette has worked in precision engineering and aerospace specifically for over 25 years.

She is a supporter and promoter of the North West manufacturing base, a Director of the North West Aerospace Alliance and East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce and a Steering Group Member of the North West Regional Defence and Security Cluster. Annette was awarded an MBE for services to business in 2022 and an Honorary Professorship from the University of Lancashire in 2024.

A reliable and conscientious Business Leader and Technology Director with extensive experience and knowledge working at Senior Executive level in the Aerospace and Defence industry. Past BAE Systems Global Engineering Fellow and representative on the programme boards of a number of High Value Manufacturing Catapult Technology Centres in the UK. A former council member and Non-Exec Director of TWI and member of a number of Advisory and Strategy Groups in the UK. Listed in The Manufacturer Top 100 in 2016. Awarded Honorary Professorship at the University of Nottingham in 2020 and at the University of Lancashire in 2024. Previous chair of the North West Aerospace Alliance and current chair of the North West Regional Defence and Security Cluster. Professor of Practice in Aerospace at the University of Nottingham. Director of A Schofield Aero Consulting Ltd and active advisor and consultant.

James Gavin is the Head of MoD Technology Transition, as Deputy Director UKDI
The UKDI exists to explore and to accelerate capabilities into Operational use.
Increasingly projects are ‘Agile By Default’ to deliver early operational advantage. The Directorate works closely with all the Front-line Commands, DSTL and the delivery portfolios within the NAD.
James has served in the military, the civil service and industry before joining the MOD. He is a passionate advocate of delivering Operational Advantage through novel ways of working, particularly though applying Agile & Spiral Development and the use of Industry Mission Partners.

Jason Ralph is a Professor of Avionics and Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and
Electronics at the University of Liverpool. He has worked in quantum science and technology in the UK, Italy and New Zealand, and has worked in defence for nearly 30 years. Jason has worked across the defence and security sector, including algorithms for guidance and navigation systems, target tracking, novel imaging systems, sonar processing, and directed energy. Jason has led a large number of industrial projects concerned with sensor simulation and modelling for algorithm development, and has worked with Dstl, QinetiQ, Thales, MBDA, BAE Systems, and a range of other industrial partners. He has published more than 200 academic papers, including several book chapters.

Amanda is the Group Social Sustainability Director at BAE Systems Plc. She is responsible for leading Inclusion efforts across our UK & International markets, accelerating integration of Sustainability ambitions into the Supply Chain and cohering all Social Sustainability elements across BAE Systems.

Amanda has extensive experience as a Commissioned Logistics Officer in the Royal Australian Navy and as a Senior Leader in the corporate environment. She has a special interest in Sustainability, which combines her desire for outstanding business performance with true positive impact for employees and business stakeholders.

In her Naval career, Amanda was responsible for ensuring Naval Personnel and the Fleet received the highest level of multi-disciplinary Personnel and Supply Chain support. In her corporate career, Amanda has a wide range of technical and leadership experience, specialising in Supply Chain Management and Sustainability Excellence across the Pharmaceutical, Utilities and Defence industries.

Amanda has a passion for collaborating across the Aerospace & Defence industry and holds the chair of the Joint Supply Chain accreditation register (JOSCAR) Governance Group and is the SME Champion for BAE Systems.

Amanda is a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership & Management, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply.

Calum is the Deputy Head of Growth and Place in the Ministry of Defence. He leads the team responsible for delivering the five Defence Growth Deals and the industry skills programme that were announced in the Defence Industrial Strategy, as well as holding the wider devolution and regional growth remit. He has been a civil servant for over 10 years and, prior to joining the Ministry of Defence in November 2023, worked in the Department for Transport, Wales Office, Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office, Department for Work and Pensions, and the Welsh Government. He lives in London.

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.

Samira joined ADS in January 2024 as the Defence Director and is a member of the ADS Group Executive Team. Samira leads on ADS’s work across the Defence sector working closely with the ADS Vice President.

Working with and on behalf of our members, Samira has led on the Strategic Defence Review and Defence Industrial Strategy submissions and been part of the SDR Review & Challenge panel. She is also the Co-Chair for Market Engagement with MOD’ Deputy Director - Industry Collaboration & Strategic Supplier Management, part of the Defence Supply Chain Capability Programme, and is the UK Trade Association lead for the AUKUS Advanced Capabilities Industry Forum.

Samira has over 20 years of service delivery experience and was previously the Chief Executive of UK Defence Solutions Centre (UKDSC) part of the wider ADS Group, delivering on behalf of the DGP, powering export led growth. Within this time, she developed, launched and published the Joint Economic Data Hub (JEDHub), measuring the prosperity of defence and delivered cross sector innovation initiatives, all of which were recognised in the 2021 Defence Security and Industrial Strategy (DSIS).

Prior to joining UKDSC, Samira was the Strategy Lead at Serco, initially providing a portfolio of roles to DSTL, to help deliver growth and developed the £75M account strategy, followed by a secondment to UKDSC to help set the centre up and supporting the Defence Suppliers Forum (DSF) People and Skills working group. Here she developed, launched, and reported the first biennial skills survey with recommended interventions, published in the DSIS. In 2019 Samira graduated with an MBA from Warwick Business School, her dissertation focused on how to increase the engineering SQEP across the UK defence enterprise.

Chris Mayne is the Managing Director of Teleplan Forsberg, headquartered in Heysham, UK.

Founded in 1987, Teleplan Forsberg is a trusted provider of mission-critical Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) solutions for both defence and civil sectors. The company has a deep technical expertise in addressing complex PNT challenges, offering a comprehensive portfolio that includes Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers, inertial navigation systems, antennas, anti-jam technologies, and situational awareness software, including MANTIS our Battlespace Management Software (BMS). These solutions are engineered to deliver precise and dependable data, even in the most demanding environments.

Chris began his journey with Teleplan Forsberg in 2003 as an Engineering Assistant during an internship. Over the years, he progressed through various roles within the organisation, culminating in his appointment as Managing Director in 2020. Chris is actively engaged in the broader technology and innovation ecosystem. He is a co-founder and steering board member of the Electech Innovation Cluster, a member of the North West Business Leadership Team, and an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Lancaster University. He also contributes to several advisory boards, helping to shape regional strategies in education and innovation.

Bio coming soon.

Phil Waterhouse is the Group Corporate Affairs Director of APCL Group.  The Group delivers defence and commercial shipbuilding and maritime platform support on a national and international basis from its yards in Birkenhead, Falmouth and Hebburn.  After a full career in the RN as a Logistics Officer culminating as a Commodore, Phil joined APCL in 2023; his focus is on senior and parliamentary engagement and future strategy.

Andy Crouch is an entrepreneur and UK Army reservist who has moved from hands-on operational and BD roles to founding and scaling start-ups. He is co-founder of JET Connectivity, creators of “Expeditionary 5G,” a rugged, multi-use, and rapidly deployable network solution now attracting attention across UK and NATO defence sectors. Drawing on both industry and military experience, Andy champions the integration of innovative UK Sovereign SMEs into the defence ecosystem.

Bio coming soon.

Ryan “Fin” Findlay is co-Founder and CEO of Pure Alchemi, a Scottish company focused on recovering critical raw materials from waste. Backed by NATO, Pure Alchemi creates sovereign resilience in the critical mineral supply chain by recovering rare earth elements, aluminum, silicon, and other valuable metals from industrial waste such as coal fly ash and bauxite residue. Fin drives Pure Alchemi’s business development and strategy.

Futures Lab is a framework under UKDI focused on solving Defence’s problems with pan-industry and academic teams, working collaboratively to cohere innovation challenges and deliver tailored solutions across the frontline commands.

Bio coming soon.

Andrew has a background in European and domestic defence acquisition and transformation. He has delivered transformation of commercial functions with a multi-billion pound per annum spend by performing radical changes to their commercial operating model, developing and implementing user-driven digital procurement strategies and coordinating Defence’s first ever publication of its Acquisition Pipeline. He is currently leading coordination of the Accelerating Commercial Pathways programme in response to SDR and government priorities, which is locating pace and flexibility in acquisition models across Defence and shifting day-to-day practices through real-life experience and case studies. In addition, he has experience managing a diverse range of procurements from inception to contract management. During the past 10 years, Andrew has managed procurements for programmes worth up to £12bn: developing procurement strategies, acting as the link between requirements development and ITT drafting, and leading the drafting of content for market engagement. He has managed rigorous negotiation plans to assist a multi-billion pound defence acquisition and has also supported complex negotiations more widely in the public sector.