His days are filled with staying close to customers and partners, presenting at industry events, supporting the defence and government sales team across the UK, Poland, Norway, Denmark and Germany, and working on key bids in the defence and government space.
Just a few minutes into our conversation with Neil, it quickly became obvious how his hard-won perspective and innate ability to ingest and retain knowledge makes him a key contributor to the company's continued growth.
NSSLGlobal is a leading independent provider of project engineering, satellite communications, IT management and systems integration. Neil joined six years ago as Director of Defence and Space Programmes. A role that is, at its core, understanding the needs of the company’s customers now and in the future which includes understanding where the market is heading, what emerging user demands will look like, and how NSSLGlobal can position itself to meet them.
Neil, you have extensive experience across both the military and commercial sectors. How has your 26 years of military service shaped the way you approach leadership and strategy?
I joined the British Army at 18 and spent 26 years serving in the UK and Germany , and on operational deployments across the Balkans, in Northern Ireland and three tours in Afghanistan. Those experiences shaped how I lead and think strategically today.
Early on, as a junior captain in Croatia, I had 40 soldiers spread across hundreds of kilometres. I couldn't be everywhere at once, so I had to trust people to operate independently and that meant investing in training, communication and building confidence in the team.
By my second Afghan tour, I was developing civil affairs strategy for 14 specialist teams spread across the whole country. It was a really tangible experience of translating big-picture thinking into ground-level reality. Later, as a full Colonel running all Ministry of Defence (MOD) satellite service programmes, I got my first taste of acquisitions and commercial work.
The biggest lesson there was that everything comes down to relationships and finding ways to cut through complexity.
After nearly three decades of service, why did you leave the army?
I was in an acquisitions role and had become interested in industry. Near the end I had reached a point where I started thinking about building a second career.
It felt like the right time to move into the commercial sector, where I could continue delivering communications to people in harm's way. That still matters to me.
NSSLGlobal has more than 55 years of experience in satellite communications and maritime technology. What do you see as the company's key strengths in this evolving industry?
Heritage is important, as is the growth of the company and the way it has kept pace with technology. For 55 years the company has grown and evolved along with our customer requirements changing, and our depth of experience shows in the way we work. Our commercial maritime work and solutions also benefit defence and government customers, and our security focus benefits our commercial maritime customers; the two sets bring real value to each other.
The heritage of the individuals in the team is also significant. A lot of the defence and government team are ex-military, and it helps when the chief engineers understand the realities of the environment and the solutions required.
NSSLGlobal has a strong reputation for going the extra mile. We will fly an engineer to the other side of the world for an urgent defence task, and we put enormous effort into getting task groups back online. We are also able to leverage some of our own technology, SnapTV our media entertainment and content for example, and the way we integrate solutions.
For a company our size, we have a wide portfolio and robust support. It is a healthy cycle.
You have led large organisations and teams throughout your career. What leadership principles have been most important in building high-performing teams?
I hold a master's in information systems and organisational theory and design, so I am aware of the academic side. But the real education came from leading teams in the most demanding circumstances. Often, it was a young corporal or junior sergeant with six to eight years' experience responsible for delivering critical communications to a deployed unit far from, for example, my regimental command team. That reality sharpens your thinking about leadership quickly.
At the core of it all is building confidence in one another through training, communication and familiarity with the equipment. Alongside that, Mission Command, the philosophy of what needs to be achieved and why it matters, must be clearly established and enabled.
Another philosophy, Serve to Lead, was drilled into me as a young officer.
Small things like letting the soldiers eat first and putting others' interests before your own.
That approach, though softer in nature, underpins success at every level. When people know their input has been heard and considered, it creates the kind of trust that frees everyone to focus on what truly matters.
You mentioned earlier how important it was that NSSLGlobal stays technically up to date. How much time do you spend thinking about what comes next?
We must be realistic. We at NSSLGlobal try to cut through the sales pitch and find what is truly scalable and deliverable for our customer base. I read a fair amount, we visit companies, learn about new solutions and we plan ahead. We hold internal meetings every couple of months to look at what is new.
It is a balance as we must moderate the noise and keep our attention on what is best for our customers.
