Andy Start
Biography
Andy Start is the CEO of Defence Equipment & Support, the UK’s National Armaments Director and a member of the Defence Board. A 4*/Permanent Secretary grade civil servant, Andy is also the co-Chair of the Defence Suppliers Forum executive.
Prior to his appointment in September 2022, Andy spent over 30 years leading Defence, Aerospace and Tech industries, and has held CEO, President and Managing Director positions in UK FTSE 100, US S&P500 and European listed businesses.
Active in the voluntary sector throughout his career, Andy has chaired Mid-Kent College & Medway Innovation Centre, has sat of the UK Electronics Council and board of Tech UK, is an active mentor and is a current advisory board member of Women In Defence.
Andy has an MA from Kings College London, a B.Eng from Portsmouth and is a graduate of the Royal College of Defence Studies.
Chief Executive of Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S)
The Chief Executive Officer is the UK’s National Armaments Director and as the Accounting Officer for Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) is directly responsible to Parliament for the stewardship of DE&S’ resources.
To discharge these responsibilities, CEO has delegated authority from PUS to lead and manage DE&S:
- providing equipment and logistic support to current operations, including delivery against urgent operational requirements
- delivering funded equipment acquisition and support outputs, as agreed with Front Line Commands and the Head Office
- delivering projects to performance, time and cost targets, in accordance with agreed asset delivery plans
- managing safety, risk and environmental issues in accordance with mandated requirements and appropriate best practice
- representing UK interests in international military and political fora, including NATO and the EU