In 2020, UK Government Investments took on the shareholder role of Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. The organisation is responsible for the safe procurement and support of a vast range of equipment for the UK’s armed forces and undertakes decommissioning and disposal when equipment reaches the end of its service life. The business works across more than 150 locations worldwide and operates with a budget of £178 billion for the next ten years.
So far, we have taken up a non-executive seat on the DE&S Board to represent the shareholder interests of the Secretary of State. Over the next year we will work with DE&S and the Ministry of Defence to establish core governance and corporate foundations for the organisation and strengthen and monitor DE&S’s corporate performance against its agreed aims. This will include revising and updating the framework agreement between the organisation and department, reviewing new KPIs and embedding recommendations from the recent Board effectiveness review and governance review, supporting the organisation as it delivers on its commitments to its customers.