DE&S People — Tony talks!
DE&S CEO Tony Douglas spoke about his pride in serving Her Majesty’s Armed Forces, the importance of valuing staff and his belief in helping others less fortunate.
Usually when you join a new organisation, the induction and handover lasts no more than a day, so I felt incredibly privileged to have a three-month induction to DE&S.
I made the most of the early opportunity to meet our people, customers and contacts in industry before starting as Chief Executive Officer on December 1 last year.
Serving Her Majesty’s Armed Forces has been everything I hoped it would be and an awful lot more. It makes me feel incredibly proud.
There are many interesting jobs out there but for me this role is as good as it gets and I work with some very special people on an agenda that is of great national significance.
Engaging with many different groups of people in the last six months has been a real highlight. However, with over 11,000 members of the DE&S family and a wider network of MOD colleagues, customers and industry, it will be a long time before I can lay claim to shaking as many hands as I would like.
Given my experience in a very different environment, I thought that I might be surprised and sometimes confounded in my first few months. In reality, very little has been a surprise and the biggest challenge has been myself as I sometimes have a tendency to want to move quicker than is wise.
Being immersed in our major programmes, particularly F-35, Successor, Astute and Type- 26, and the challenges that come with each, has been a significant part of my early learning. I’ve also enjoyed getting more involved in the support side of what we do, where I’ve seen that little things can make a big difference.
I have a fanatical attention to detail when it comes to quality. As such, putting more ‘S’ in DE&S is a key priority for us. Using a methodology called OGSM (Objectives, Goals, Strategies & Measures) we have recently agreed six priorities for the business which are easily explained and understood and will drive DE&S forward.
I have also started putting pen to paper on our five year plan. Initially it will be a discussion document that will focus on what we want DE&S to look like, what will be different, what there will be more of, and what there will be less of. Enabling flexible working and rewarding our people are particularly important to me.
It is the dedication, service ethos and professionalism of our people that has impressed me the most in my first six months. Even when faced with many challenges, their spirits are high and they are truly impressive.
Unlike many corporate leaders, I’m not just here to drive the numbers, I would say that I also have a soft and caring inside. I’ve spent time with people from other countries in desperate conditions and sponsored them in the hope they can leave that environment behind.
If you can do a little bit of good in these areas I think it is important you do. I hope that I bring some of the same ethos to DE&S, to do my bit to help our people to deliver the best for Her Majesty’s Armed Forces and the UK taxpayer.
