Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall

I am a Director of SBAC, dealing with aerospace defence and homeland security.

What I enjoy most about working at SBAC is the SME-like atmosphere of being part of a team working in an integrated way to deliver benefits to an important sector of British industry. I have spent much of my career working in government on industrial issues, and working for a leading trade association such as SBAC gives me the chance to use that experience to build effective bridges between member companies and government departments. I am also able to deploy a wide range of skills, such as writing policy papers and articles for magazines, chairing and participating in meetings, delivering public speeches, and exercising diplomacy in cases where government and industry are finding it difficult to come together.

Of course, defence and security are issues much in the news and I find it particularly interesting to see behind the headlines and understand the real issues from the viewpoint of senior business people, politicians and officials. These are also both genuinely global markets, and my job has a strong international flavour with some need to travel and a constant interface with other governments, industries and multinational bodies. There is plenty of opportunity to propose and carry through new initiatives if they meet the needs of members companies. So in the last year I have been involved in launching new bodies in such diverse areas as autonomous systems, anti-corruption and security and resilience.

The final thing I would like to say about SBAC is that it is the most modern office environment I have worked in; well-designed and purpose built, with all the IT I can manage to use and more. We are still exploring the potential uses of the highly interactive website. Overall, I find SBAC a busy, lively, friendly and forward looking place to work and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the challenges of creating the right environment in the UK for industrial and economic success and in developing companies here that can compete effectively in increasingly complex global markets.