Integrity, Service, Excellence, Teamwork: these are the values our team works to. We prepare military personnel for critical situations. These values matter.
On the ground or in the air, at Draken you will find a dedicated group of people drawn from a wide range of backgrounds. To put it in military terms, they are our ‘force multipliers’.
Our team collectively acknowledges that no mission ever gets off the ground without meticulous planning, rigorous safety checks and the right expertise.
Our customers expect us to act with the same integrity that they bring to their own operations. We are trusted to support the protection of people, territories, values and interests. We don’t take the task lightly.
To us, ‘service’ is putting others’ needs first. It means close collaboration and an innate understanding of our customers’ requirements. If we serve our customers correctly, we help them set the conditions for success.
Excellence demands a commitment to improvement, innovation and the highest standards. Talented people deliver, but an excellent organisation delivers an environment in which talent grows.
At Draken, each of us has a role in the delivery of our services. Whether a pilot or a procurement manager, ultimately teamwork alone ensures that our aircraft stay in the air safely and effectively.
Chief Executive Officer
Nic joined Draken in 2023 and was formerly the Chief Executive Officer UK Defence at QinetiQ. Prior to that, he held roles as Managing Director at Babcock International Group, VT Group and CAE. Nic graduated in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and later received an Engineering Doctorate from the University of Warwick. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Programme and a qualified coach with an Advanced Diploma in Executive Coaching.
Chief Finance Officer
Leading the Finance and Accounting teams and responsible for the finance strategy and financial activities, Sarah was a Group Controller at Cobham Plc, a multi-national FTSE 250 group, where she played a key role when the firm was taken over by Advent International. She was also Director at PwC, the professional services firm, where she specialised in the Aerospace and Defence sector, serving high profile FTSE 250 clients.
Chief Growth Officer
As a Royal Air Force officer for 35 years with more than 350 combat missions as a Tornado and Typhoon pilot and weapons instructor, Ian commanded at various levels, including as the Assistant Chief of the Royal Air Force prior to his final role as the 3-Star commander of future warfighting plans and the professional military education lead of all UK military and national security personnel. Ian's previous appointments include acting as a board member of the UK Civil Aviation Authority .
Chief People Officer
A Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, Sophie has People responsibility for the UK, USA and International Draken sites. With over 20 years’ experience, she has a passion for learning and problem solving as evidenced through an MA (LLM) in Employment Law, and an MA in Human Resource Management. She is currently studying with the Henley Business School for an MSc in Neuroscience and Coaching for Behavioural Change.
Chief Technology Officer
Nick leads Draken’s global technology strategy and delivers our key technology investments ensuring the successful execution of product development. A Flight Test Engineer by background, Nick was the Engineering Director UK Defence at QinetiQ, working across a broad segment of their activities, including air, science and technology, maritime, land and weapons. He has worked across both high-technology and Research and Development intensive programmes and spent most of his time delivering major technical programmes; for example, the design and delivery of a test pilot training system at ETPS, aircraft modification programmes, and leading on the safety approach to trials for the first high power laser above the horizon firing in the UK. With exceptional air expertise, which has included supporting the deepening of relationships into DE&S, the MoD and front-line commands, he has led a team of hundreds of employees at QinetiQ.
President & GM, US
Jose joined Draken following a distinguished career in the USAF, where he held leadership roles directly advising the Commander of USAF Central Command on all matters pertaining to strategy, operations and sustainment of coalition forces in Southwest Asia. His responsibilities covered 20 countries and more than 21,000 personnel. He played a pivotal role in strategising and executing daily air component war strategy against ISIS in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. He began his career as an F-16 fighter pilot, with close to 4000 hours logged, including 380 combat hours and 130 combat missions.
UK Managing Director
Simon joins us from QinetiQ where he was the Operations Director for UK Defence. There he led a team of 1100 personnel to deliver customer projects and trials across all 40 sites, with a budget of over £150m. He rapidly established change programmes to deliver operational performance improvement, and was accountable for all UK operational safety. Prior to this role he was the Director Operations Air and Space when he developed, launched and led QinetiQ’s civil aviation organization and created the Aviation Engineering Centre. He has also worked as the MD and Operations Sustainment Director for Lockheed Martin UK Integrated Systems, worked as an independent consultant to the UAW, and as the Interim CEO for Jordan Aircraft Maintenance Ltd. His time in service was spent with the Royal Navy where he was the Chief Operational Engineer for the Fleet Air Arm, and Military Assistant to NATO’s Joint Force Commander. He was also Deputy Squadron Air Engineer of a battlefield helicopter squadron which included deployments worldwide and active service during the first Gulf War.
