UK Defence Solutions Centre Appoints Samira Braund as CEO
Samira Braund has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the UK Defence Solutions Centre (UKDSC) with immediate effect.
The appointment was carried out following an open recruitment process under the governance of ADS, working with the Defence Growth Partnership (DGP).
The UKDSC was created in 2015 as part of an implementation plan for the DGP,and is jointly funded by Government and industry. As the independent centre of excellence of the DGP, the UKDSC is a unique team positioned to further deepen the partnership between the UK Government and the defence industry on identifying future capability requirements and supporting technology development to succeed in international markets.
Samira Braund’s roles at the UKDSC include Executive Director Operations from May 2018 to June this year, when she became Interim CEO. Her prior career includes roles with Serco at which she was seconded into MOD within the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S).
Samira Braund said:
“I am delighted and honoured to lead the UKDSC at this exciting time, in support of the Defence Growth Partnership strategy in driving export led growth.
“Having worked in the UKDSC for more than five years as a member of the senior leadership team, I passionately believe in the UKDSC and what we can achieve as a collective, especially as we emerge from these challenging times and bounce back as an independent trading nation in support of Government and Industry’s international endeavours.”
Defence Growth Partnership Industry Co-Chair Andrew Cowdery said:
“The UK Defence Solutions Centre is playing an essential role in creating and sustaining knowledge and market intelligence to support UK MoD capability requirements and in building strong and enduring international partnerships across Government, Industry, Academia and overseas customers.
“I would like to congratulate Samira on her appointment, and I look forward to working with her in the further development of the UK Defence Solution Centre to deliver innovative defence solutions that achieve export led growth across the UK Defence sector. I would also like to thank Mark Barclay for his significant contribution as CEO and wish him every success for the future.”