Neil Johnson
Group Chair
Board of Directors
Neil Johnson
Group Chair
Appointment to the Board
Appointed to the Board in April 2019.
Committee memberships
Nominations Committee (Chair)
Remuneration Committee
Risk & Security Committee
Skills, competence and experience
Neil’s former CEO experience and current roles as a plc Group Chair and Non-executive Director brings to the Board relevant knowledge, challenge and leadership.
Starting his career at Sandhurst and the army, Neil spent much of his early career in the automotive and engineering industries. He was worldwide Sales and Marketing Director at Jaguar before being seconded to the UK Ministry of Defence to command 4th Battalion The Royal Green Jackets. He returned to the industry with British Aerospace, initially running Land Rover and then all of its European automotive operations. Neil was later CEO of the RAC, and former Director General of the EEF and a Home Office appointed Independent Member of the Metropolitan Police Authority. He was previously Chair of Motability Operations Group Plc, Synthomer Plc and Electra Private Equity Plc.
Other appointments
Chair of Dialight plc, Trustee and Council Member - National Army Museum.
Steve Wadey
Chief Executive Officer
Steve Wadey
Chief Executive Officer
Appointment to the Board
Appointed Chief Executive Officer in April 2015.
Committee memberships
Risk & Security Committee
Skills, competence and experience
Steve’s proven track record of driving growth, and his in-depth experience of defence and technology industries is of essential importance and benefit to the Board.
Steve is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Royal Aeronautical Society, and the Royal Academy of Engineering. He was previously a member of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group, Co-Chair of the National Defence Industries Council Research and Development Group, and a Nonexecutive Director of the UK MOD Research and Development Board. He has held various roles with MBDA, including as Managing Director, MBDA UK. Previously he held various roles with Matra BAe Dynamics and British Aerospace. He was also Chair of the Defence Industry Liaison Board of the UK Department for International Trade, Defence and Security Exports.
Other appointments
Co-Chair of UK Defence Growth Partnership and Climate Change and Sustainability steering group with UK MOD.
Martin Cooper
Chief Financial Officer
Martin Cooper
Chief Financial Officer
Appointment to the Board
Appointed Chief Financial Officer in September 2024.
Committee memberships
Risk & Security Committee
Skills, competence and experience
Martin has more than 25 years' experience leading multi-disciplinary teams in senior finance roles. He brings valuable global experience, coupled with deep financial and operational expertise. His detailed understanding of our sector and the markets we operate in will be instrumental in helping the Group perform and grow.
Martin has most recently held a number of positions at BAE Systems including UK & Rest of World Financial Controller, Divisional Finance Director and most recently Investor Relations Director. Martin started his career at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, where he qualified as a chartered accountant, and then worked at Credit Suisse. Martin graduated from Durham University with a BA Hons in History.
Other appointments
N/A
Steve Mogford
Senior Independent Non-Executive Director
Steve Mogford
Senior Independent Non-Executive Director
Steve Mogford
Appointment to the Board
Appointed to the Board in August 2022.
Committee memberships
Audit Committee
Nominations Committee
Remuneration Committee
Risk & Security Committee
Skills, competence and experience
non-executive roles across a range of sectors. In particular, his long and comprehensive international defence and security sector experience equip him to further develop the skill sets of our Board. Steve has a first class honours degree in astrophysics, maths and physics from London University.
Formerly the CEO of United Utilities Group PLC, Steve started his career at British Aerospace. During his long career with them, he held a number of senior positions before being appointed COO and a member of the BAE Systems plc Board. Steve then joined Finmeccanica as Chief Executive of SELEX Galileo. He also served on the Board of G4S plc as Senior independent Director up to its acquisition in 2021.
Other appointments
Independent Non-executive Director of Costain Group PLC.
Shonaid Jemmett-Page
Independent Non-Executive Director
Shonaid Jemmett-Page
Independent Non-Executive Director
Appointment to the Board
Appointed to the Board in May 2020.
Committee memberships
Audit Committee (Chair)
Nominations Committee
Remuneration Committee
Risk & Security Committee
Skills, competence and experience
Shonaid has widespread experience as an Executive and Non-executive Director spanning a variety of sectors, including industrial and technology-based businesses with international operations. This, combined with her extensive financial experience, is invaluable in her role as Chair of the Audit Committee. Shonaid is a Fellow of the ICAEW.
Previously she was the Chief Operating Officer of CDC Group plc, the UK Government’s development finance institution, having joined from Unilever, where she was Senior Vice- President Finance and Information, Home and Personal Care, originally in Asia and later for the Group as a whole. Her early career was spent at KPMG, latterly as a partner. Her Board-level experience includes Non-executive Chair of Greencoat Wind plc, MSAmlin plc and Nonexecutive Director at GKN plc.
Other appointments
Non-executive Chair of Cordiant Digital Infrastructure Limited and ClearBank Limited and Non-executive Director of Aviva plc.
General Sir Gordon Messenger
Independent Non-Executive Director
General Sir Gordon Messenger
Independent Non-Executive Director
Appointment to the Board
Appointed to the Board in October 2020.
Committee memberships
Audit Committee
Nominations Committee
Remuneration Committee
Risk & Security Committee (Chair)
Skills, competence and experience
Gordon brings considerable experience from the armed forces having served for 37 years as a Royal Marine. Throughout his military career he served in key appointments in various UK and NATO headquarters, overseeing the planning and execution of UK and coalition military and humanitarian relief operations worldwide. He most recently served as Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, a position he held for three years until his retirement in 2019.
Gordon’s unique experience enables him to provide invaluable insight in his role as the Chair of the Risk & Security Committee.
Other appointments
A Board member of the UK Health Security Agency, a member of the Advisory Board of C3.ai Inc., Senior Independent Advisor to BUPA, Trustee of Historic Royal Palaces, Trustee of the Kings Foundation, and serves as Constable of His Majesty’s Tower of London.
Susan Searle
Independent Non-Executive Director
Susan Searle
Independent Non-Executive Director
Appointment to the Board
Appointed to the Board in March 2014.
Committee memberships
Audit Committee
Nominations Committee
Remuneration Committee (Chair)
Risk & Security Committee
Skills, competence and experience
Susan brings to the Board essential experience of investing in growing technology businesses, acquisitions and exploitation of new technologies. Her extensive experience as a plc Remuneration Committee Chair enables her to efficiently and valuably chair the QinetiQ Remuneration Committee.
Susan was a founder of Touchstone Innovations plc, and formerly its CEO. She has served on a variety of private company boards in engineering, healthcare and advanced materials, and held a variety of commercial and business development roles with Shell Chemicals, the Bank of Nova Scotia, Montech (Australia), and Signet Group plc. Previously she was the Senior Independent Director and Remuneration Committee Chair of Horizon Discovery Group plc and Benchmark Holdings PLC, as well as Chair of Mercia Asset Management plc and Schroder UK Public Private Trust plc.
Other appointments
Non-executive Director and Chair of the Sustainability Committee of Gooch & Housego PLC, Chair of Greenback Recycling Technologies Ltd and Non-executive Director of Bibby Line Group.
Dina Knight
Independent Non-Executive Director
Dina Knight
Independent Non-Executive Director
Dina Knight
Appointment to the Board
Appointed to the Board in March 2024.
Committee memberships
Audit Committee
Nominations Committee
Remuneration Committee
Risk & Security Committee
Skills, competence and experience
Dina has over thirty years’ HR experience gained across private and PLC business environments. She is highly experienced in working across international workforces, building strong teams to deliver change and drive results, whilst ensuring that the workforce and business’s wellbeing remain a top priority. Dina read Business Studies and gained a Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management from Teeside University.
Dina is Chief People Officer of global technology provider Datatec Group and Logicalis International, accountable for its people operations and strategy. Previously she was Global HR Director at Truphone, responsible for driving a collaborative and innovation-centred culture. She has also held positions as Group HR Director for Teledyne e2v and Northgate Information Solutions.
Other appointments
Chief People Officer of Datatec Group.
Ross McEwan
Independent Non-Executive Director/
Australian Resident Non-Executive Director at Group Level
Australian Resident Non-Executive Director at Group Level
Ross McEwan
Independent Non-Executive Director/
Australian Resident Non-Executive Director at Group Level
Ross McEwan
Appointment to the Board
Appointed to the Board in March 2024.
Committee memberships
Audit Committee
Nominations Committee
Remuneration Committee
Risk & Security Committee
Skills, competence and experience
Ross has more than thirty years’ experience in the finance, insurance and investment industries, and brings a strong focus on customers, business performance, capital management, technology transformation, risk management, and people and culture. He holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from Massey University, New Zealand.
Ross was Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of National Australia Bank Limited between 2019 and 2024. He was previously Group CEO of Royal Bank of Scotland. He also held the positions of Group Executive for Retail Banking Services and Executive General Manager at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, as well as Managing Director of First NZ Capital Securities and Chief Executive Officer of National Mutual Life Association of Australia Limited/AXA New Zealand Limited.
Other appointments
Non-executive Director of BHP Group Limited and Lead Independent Director of Reece Limited.
James Field
Company Secretary & Group Director Legal
James Field
Company Secretary & Group Director Legal
Appointment to the Board
Appointed as Company Secretary in July 2022.
Skills, competence and experience
James joined QinetiQ as an in-house lawyer in 2004, progressing through various roles to Head of the Group Legal and Intellectual Property team, before becoming Group Director Legal and Company Secretary. Prior to QinetiQ, James worked as in-house Legal Counsel at Transport for London, and has a background in Londonbased private legal practice.