SEA has appointed experienced defence industry professional Simon Gould as Business Development Director to drive growth within the company’s defence business in the UK and overseas.
Simon joins SEA following more than three decades at the heart of the UK defence industry. Starting out as an apprentice in the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), he spent 16 years progressing to management roles working on some major submarine weapon system contracts. More recently, he served as the Managing Director of maritime firm BMT’s UK defence business, where he spent 21 years.
Commenting on his new role, Simon said: “I’m extremely excited to be joining SEA – there’s no better time to be doing so. I’ve known and admired the company throughout my military and industry career and recently, it’s been clear the positive steps taken by the business to maximise their offering to the defence industry both in the UK and overseas. The first few weeks with my new colleagues have been overwhelmingly positive and I can tell that this business has the DNA to succeed. Having worked in various roles within UK defence, I believe my skills are well suited to this role and I’m looking forward to working with SEA’s technical solutions and, in doing so, supporting our country’s defensive sovereignty.”
Richard Flitton, Managing Director at SEA, added: “We are thrilled to welcome Simon to our team. His background is impressive and I’m in no doubt that our business will benefit from his extensive experience and network. We’ve had an exciting year so far and this appointment will only continue this momentum. I’m looking forward to working closely with Simon to continue to grow SEA and further develop our team.”
Simon’s hire continues a positive year for SEA, with major contract awards including a £135m contract by the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to provide its Trainable Decoy Launcher, Ancilia to improve Royal Navy surface ships’ defensive capabilities. The contract is set to safeguard more than 150 jobs in North Devon. The company’s wholly owned subsidiary, SEA Canada also won a £15.1m contract for a major naval vessel programme in Canada. SEA picked up the International Trade & Exports Award at this year’s North Devon Business Awards and has been shortlisted in the Make UK Innovation Awards announced later this year.
