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Doug Umbers has been appointed as the new Managing Director of Serco’s UK Defence business.
The role will see Umbers leading the company’s Defence business unit in the UK with some 2,500 employees delivering services and operations for the UK MoD customer in the Space, Maritime, Aerospace and Land domains, with multiple critical national infrastructure assets and services.
Prior to joining Serco, Umbers was the Chief Operating Officer at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), the Ministry of Defence’s £1 billion science and technology arm, where he also spent 11 months as the interim Chief Executive Officer. Previously, he has led private sector businesses that design, build and operate technical and technology services for customers such as the Ministry of Defence, the intelligence services, the BBC, foreign governments and the mobile operators, both in the UK and overseas. He was on the executive teams at VT Group (now Babcock International) and Arqiva, a broadcast and telecoms infrastructure provider. He started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers and is a chartered accountant.
Commenting on his new appointment, Umbers said: “I’m delighted to have joined Serco and to be given the opportunity to lead such a well run and ambitious business. I am very aware of the responsibility that we in industry have to deliver ever more effective and positive impacts for Defence and for those who serve in our Armed Forces. We have a pipeline of exciting opportunities across the main domains that will build on Serco’s reputation as a strategically important partner for the Ministry of Defence.”
Anthony Kirby, Serco Chief Executive, UK & Europe, added: “We are thrilled to have someone of Doug’s calibre and experience join Serco to lead our Defence business. Serco has been an Impact Partner for the UK MOD for almost 60 years and today our 2,500 people support the UK’s critical national infrastructure as well as the UK Armed Forces all around the UK and overseas.”
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UK drainage specialist, Metro Rod, has launched a survey which explores the main areas of interest for FMs in maintaining drainage and plumbing, including how they currently assess their supply chains to ensure they’re working with partners that meet the highest possible standards and provide value for money.
The results will be published online so that you can see how you compare to others within the sector.
The survey should take just 5-10 minutes of your time, and as a thank you, you will be entered into a prize draw, where one lucky winner will be picked at random to receive a £100 Amazon voucher.
To take part click here.
