Richard Whalley has over 35 years of operational and leadership experience in UK Defence. He and his team support UK prosperity by delivering and managing a programme of Government Defence Exports and Sales to allies and partners. The team are based across the UK, with a Head Office in Bristol, and form part of the UK MOD’s Defence Equipment and Support organisation (DE&S).

The team provides the Government-to-Government gateway to access acquisition expertise from DE&S as well as the direct sale of surplus UK military capabilities and systems; they work closely with the MOD Trade teams, Defence Security Exports in the Department for Business and Trade, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office and others, to provide a “One Defence” approach to global exports.

Richard’s defence career started when he joined the Royal Navy as a logistics officer in 1989. Throughout his service he worked in a wide variety of Royal Navy and Joint units
ashore and afloat. He is also a Chartered Management Accountant, holding several appointments specialising in the resource planning and business transformation. In addition,
he served in MOD Head Office as a Defence Press Officer during the Iraq campaign, and on joint operational service in Northern Ireland (1991), Iraq (2003) and Afghanistan (2009).

Richard is a Master’s graduate of the UK Advanced Command and Staff Course. In more senior military roles he has worked overseas in the Pentagon with the US Joint Chiefs; as a
Chief of Staff in DE&S; led the Logistics Services Delivery Team; and finished his military career as the Head of the Defence Equipment Sales Authority, before leading in the same
role as a Senior Civil Servant until Sep 24. His current role builds on his experience to bring two key elements of international business together within the Gateway team of the
redesigned DE&S.

Richard is retained as a Commodore in the Royal Fleet Reserve to allow him to represent the UK in uniform when required.