Event Itinerary
Day 1 Day 2 Meet the experts
Session 3
Tuesday 16 March, 11:10 AM
Defence – ‘A National Priority and British Success Story’
The defence sector is a national priority and a British manufacturing success story that contributes more than £11bn in exports and supports 260,000 jobs. As the technological landscape of defence evolves at pace, this webinar will showcase the innovations likely to impact the future of defence and what British manufacturers must do to stay at the forefront of this fast paced, high value sector.
Nick Chaffey
CEO, Northrop Grumman
Nick Chaffey joined Northrop Grumman as Chief Executive for the UK and Europe in August 2018. In this role he has responsibility for developing strategies for growth and identifying / driving new business opportunities for the company's activities in the UK and Europe, including NATO countries. He is also responsible for the company’s 2,200 staff and $1.5Bn portfolio across the European region and for supporting key current programmes including F-35, NATO’s High Altitude Long Endurance aircraft (NATO AGS), UK’s Sentry AWACS programme, a major UK Government cyber programme, and numerous others across the land, air and maritime domains.
Since September 2019 Nick has also taken accountability for the Middle East region.
Prior to Northrop Grumman, he spent 25-years at PA Consulting Group where most recently he was COO / Global Head of Consulting and an Executive Director, Member of the Board of PA Holdings Limited. Previously he was the founder and lead for PA’s Global Defence and Security Business, and Group Head of Strategy and Business Transformation Consulting.
Before that that he spent six years in the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors and Civil Service Fast Stream at the UK Ministry of Defence undertaking warship and submarine design and programme management.
Nick earned a bachelor’s degree in Electronic and Optoelectronic Engineering from University College London and an MBA, DIC from Imperial College Business School, specialising in strategic programme design and delivery.
Philip Pratley
Director, Trade and External Relations UK, Leonardo
Appointed Senior Vice President in 2009, having worked in a strategy role. Current appointment 2016. Other responsibilities within the Company included have integration of communications and information business units, initiating new areas of capability to extend business partnerships in the delivery of information advantage. As a previous chair of the Company’s Science & Technology Forum, he continues to work closely with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programmes at all levels in education. Philip previously served as a Brigadier in the Royal Corps of Signals, was twice awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service on operations and made MBE. A graduate of the Higher Command and Staff Course, member of the British Commission for Military History and of the Institute for Engineering & Technology, he has also been chair of a school governing body.