Tony Douglas to depart DE&S role

Tony Douglas, CEO of Defence Equipment and Support will stand down from the role at the end of this year.

Douglas, who has been in the role for over two years, will return to the private sector having recently overseen the launch of Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier and the negotiations for the procurement of Type 26 and 31e frigates.

Douglas said: “It has been a very difficult decision for me to make. I will leave DE&S at the end of 2017 but I will do so having thoroughly enjoyed our time together. We have made very real progress on project delivery and transformation and we should be individually and collectively proud of what we have done. In part, my decision to leave DE&S has been made easier by the knowledge that it will remain in capable hands. I have decided to leave because I have been offered a compelling opportunity to lead a large and complex organisation in the private sector and in an industry, unconnected with defence, which I know well.”

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: “I am personally very grateful for the help and support Tony has provided to me personally and been very impressed by the significant progress he has achieved in his time with the MOD, we will be sorry to lose him. He is responding to an unexpected opportunity in the private sector which he has decided to pursue and I would not want to stand in his way from taking on that fresh challenge. I am confident that the momentum he has generated will be maintained by his executive team and, in due course, his successor ensuring that DE&S continues to deliver using the foundations he has put into place.”