Simon joined the civil service as Head of the RPAS portfolio in November 2022, following a period in industry and a career in the British Army. 

He is an experienced portfolio director with a background in delivering Defence programmes and business transformation.  He has operated at cross-government level and has led GMPP procurement programmes to deliver armoured vehicle, ISR and CEMA capabilities.  Simon holds an MBA, MSc in Defence Technology, BEng in Communication and Electronic Systems and is a chartered engineer.