BRITISH contractor Serco has appointed a new managing director to oversee its defence business.

Hook-based Serco, which provides various services to government and local councils, appointed Doug Umbers as managing director of its UK defence business.

Prior to joining Serco, Doug was the chief operating officer at the defence science and technology laboratory (Dstl), the Ministry of Defence’s £1bn 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 mobile operators, both in the UK and overseas.

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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.

In Doug’s new role in Serco, he is responsible for leading Serco’s defence business unit in the UK with some 2,500 employees, services and operations for the UK MOD customer in the space, maritime, aerospace and land domains, with multiple critical national infrastructure assets and services.

Anthony Kirby, Serco chief executive, said: “We are thrilled to have someone of Doug’s calibre and experience join Serco to lead our defence business.”

Doug added: “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.”