About us

Nick Prest CBE – Chairman

After graduating with an MA from Oxford, Nick Prest began his career as an administrative civil servant in the MOD in 1974. After an MBA course at Bradford Business School, Nick then moved within the MOD to the Defence Export Services Organisation. In 1982, he left the MOD to take a marketing role at United Scientific Holdings, predecessor of Alvis plc (Alvis). He was appointed marketing director in 1985, with overall responsibility for the order intake of the Alvis Group worldwide, and became chief executive in 1989. Alvis developed into one of the world's leading contractors in the specialist field of armoured vehicles before being acquired by BAE Systems in 2004. Nick was appointed chairman of Alvis in 1996. He was chairman of the Defence Manufacturers Association from 2001 to 2004. Nick is also chairman of AVEVA Group plc and The Shephard Group.

Nick was appointed chairman in February 2006 and is a member of the audit and remuneration committees.

Stanley Carter – Chief executive

Following a successful military career, Stanley Carter took early retirement as a lieutenant colonel in the Royal Artillery to found SCS in 1992. During his military service he held a wide range of operational posts and staff officer appointments in the MOD, including the central staff, procurement, government research establishments and had significant interaction with industry. He also represented the UK on a five-nation technical committee overseeing the development of an advanced weapon system and at NATO, interoperability committees. Stanley won a personal award from the MOD Committee of Awards to Inventors for a lightweight missile launcher which is still in service. He has degrees in Technology and Behavioural Science from Loughborough and the Open University, respectively, and an MSc in Design of Information Systems from the Royal Military College of Science in 1987. Stanley was managing director of SCS until 30 April 2007.

Stanley became chief executive of Cohort on its formation in 2006 and chairs the group executive committee.

Simon Walther – Finance director

Simon Walther has considerable industry-relevant expertise, having been group financial controller at Alvis for eight years and, most recently, a consultant to BAE Systems. Qualifying as a chartered accountant with Touche Ross (1992), Simon moved to the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) where he was appointed a chief accountant for P&O European Ferries in 1995. In 1997 he was appointed group financial controller at Alvis.

Simon joined Cohort as finance director in May 2006 in addition to the role of company secretary. He is a member of the group executive committee and is also finance director for both MASS and SCS.

Ian Dale-Staples – Director

Ian is a graduate of Bath University, with an MSc in Business Administration, specialising in prime contract management and corporate politics, strategic planning, organisational development and controllership. He has considerable project management experience, having managed various military and civil programmes. Following a 4 year stay in Germany with Dornier System GmbH, mostly working on the GIOTTO spacecraft programme, Ian joined Plessey Naval Systems Ltd, initially as project director for a multi-million pound submarine sonar development programme and latterly, in strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions. He is one of the founders of Systems Engineering & Assessment Ltd. Ian is a member of the EEF Western Management Board and a director of Sulis Innovations Ltd, the seed corn venture capital company owned by Bath, Bristol and Southampton Universities.

Ian was appointed director in October 2007. He is a member of the group executive committee and is also chief executive officer of SEA.

Sir Robert Walmsley – Non-executive director

Sir Robert Walmsley previously served in the Royal Navy where his final appointment was as controller of the Navy and member of the Navy Board as a vice admiral. He was knighted in 1995. After retiring from the Navy, he was appointed as chief of Defence Procurement, occupying that position from 1996 until 2003. He was appointed independent non-executive director of British Energy Group plc in 2003. He is an independent director of General Dynamics Corporation, the Major Projects Association and EDO Corporation.

Sir Robert was appointed independent non-executive director in February 2006 and chairs both the audit and remuneration committees.

Rick Bounsall – Managing director of SCS

Commissioned from Sandhurst and an Engineering graduate, Brigadier Rick Bounsall enjoyed a successful career in the British Army. He commanded up to Regimental level, deployed on several operations, served on exchange in the US Army for two years and was an instructor at the Army Command and Staff College. For his service in Northern Ireland he was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service. In the second half of his career he specialised in Defence Acquisition, holding key appointments as Director Equipment Capability in the MOD head office and as an IPT Leader in the Defence Equipment and Support organisation in charge of some of the MOD’s biggest programmes. For three years he was the chairman of the NATO Battlefield Information Collection and Exploitation System (BICES) Agency board of directors.

Rick left the Army early in order to take up the appointment of managing director of SCS in May 2007.

Ian Dale-Staples – Chief executive officer of SEA

Please see profile under Board of directors above.

Andrew Thomis – Managing director of MASS

Andrew graduated from Imperial College, London in 1987 with an M.Eng in Electronic Engineering and Management Science. He spent nine years in the MOD as a fast stream civil servant, carrying out roles including technology research, scientific policy advice and a spell as a private secretary to the defence procurement minister. He left in 1996 and, following a period with Capita plc’s management consultancy arm, he joined Alvis plc in a role covering strategy, M&A and business development. Andrew left Alvis in 2005, following the takeover by BAE Systems and worked with Nick Prest and Stanley Carter on the creation and flotation of Cohort. He was appointed corporate development director of Cohort in March 2006 and, additionally, business development director of SCS in May 2006.

Andrew took over as managing director of MASS in May 2007 and has since stepped down from his Cohort and SCS directorships.