Canny Comms has welcomed Helena Holden to the team in the role of Marketing and Communications Delivery Lead. She brings with her a wealth of experience from her previous role as Campaign Manager in the Army Communications Branch. 

With a background in innovation and a focus on communicating the importance of Army modernisation, Helena is well-versed in strategy development and the planning of marketing communications products. Her expertise in the industry promises to elevate the team's capabilities, with a particular knack for building processes that ensure the timely delivery of products. 

Helena's deep understanding of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and industry partners was honed through her involvement in events like the Army Warfighting Experiment, DSEI, and Defence Cyber Marvel. This experience enables her to grasp the technical nuances of emerging capabilities effortlessly. 

Her contributions to the field have not gone unnoticed. In 2022, Helena was awarded the prestigious title of 'Army Communicator of the Year' and received a commendation for her exceptional work leading the Innovation Campaign from the Deputy Chief of the General Staff. 

Helena's journey began as an officer in the Royal Artillery, where she served as a Command Post Officer during the Iraq war, controlling the fire of a Battery of AS90 guns. This firsthand experience as an end-user provided her with valuable insights into how technology can significantly enhance the lives of soldiers. Over the past five years, she has focused on communicating the benefits of modernisation, spearheading successful communications campaigns around events such as Project Convergence, Army EXPO, and on platforms like Archer, Appache Helicopter (AH64E), and Ajax Armoured Fighting Vehicle. 

Helena’s arrival at Canny Comms marks the continuous growth of the company and the future certainly looks exciting. 

We're so pleased to welcome Helena Holden to the team as our Marketing and Communications Delivery Lead.

Kicking off the new year with a new team member

Canny secured the coveted gold award for 'Best Use of Media Relations' at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations PRide awards. This remarkable accomplishment reflects the outstanding dedication and unwavering commitment of our talented team. 

This award was due to the long-standing work we have done with Sibylline, a global risk consultancy company. Through our efforts, Sibylline has enjoyed widespread international media coverage and has been able to share their expertise on current global events. This award also recognises the team’s hard work in preparing for and carrying out the media engagement we have facilitated.  

This award signifies not just a moment of triumph, but a promise to continue delivering exceptional media relations strategies and solutions. Canny remains committed to providing the highest level of service and innovation to our clients, and we look forward to further opportunities to create lasting impact. 

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and, most importantly, to Sibylline Ltd., for their continuous support and trust. Together, we've demonstrated that when excellence meets collaboration, gold becomes the standard. 

Stay tuned for more exciting journeys and accomplishments from Canny!  

We're proud to share that we won 'Best Use of Media Relations' at the CIPR PRide awards.

Canny wins gold!

Explore the fascinating fusion of military and commercial technology, the emphasis on human solutions, and the critical significance of the 'near-ground' battlespace. James Peddell, chief technology consultant for Canny Comms, delves into these key themes, offering valuable insights and lessons applicable to militaries worldwide. Discover how Ukraine's adaptive posture and relentless drive for innovation are reshaping modern warfare strategies.

 The Russian invasion of Ukraine has laid bare the advantages and limitations of hybrid warfare, with global news outlets following the stories of fake news and influence operations, through to control of oil supplies and threats of nuclear warfare. Behind the headlines, the closely fought ground battle is starting to expose the real innovation. After short-term successes, the Russian conventional forces have been matched by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), supported by Western equipment. However, it is the AFU’s agile and innovative approach that has delivered the edge. 

From artificial intelligence (AI) and 3D printing to unmanned platforms and commercial space, James Peddell, chief technology consultant for Canny Comms and founder of technology consultancy Black Jellyfish, identifies three key themes that militaries the world over can learn from Ukraine’s refreshing approach. 

A fusion of military and commercial technology  

The AFU has been remarkably effective at accessing and deploying both civilian and military technology in tandem. It has done this by using a global constellation of commercial ‘off-the-shelf’ and foreign military technology, each part modified and integrated to bypass the demands of a lengthy bespoke military programme. Many will have seen the example of SpaceX’s Starlink, which has been integrated into AFU communications and was able to rapidly overcome Russian attempts at jamming. Similarly, geospatial imagery from commercial satellite services is being combined with Western intelligence to provide a unique battlespace picture. Even controversial AI facial recognition is being repurposed using social media to identify Russian casualties of war and inform their families. The opportunities and benefits from leveraging both commercial and miliary advancements seem almost limitless. 

Yet, perhaps more important is the agility with which commercial and military technology can be put to use. The AFU is achieving this by creating specialist military and civilian teams, using the best talent it has available, to rapidly assess and implement technology at scale. These teams have developed tactics that combine commercial drones (Chinese DJI), to detect and identify targets, with military drones (Turkish Bayraktar TB2 and the US Switchblade) to deliver weapons. Intelligence teams have worked with Primer AI, rapidly repurposing its technology to transcribe and translate unencrypted Russian communications, automatically highlighting key intelligence and massively reducing costs in terms of both money and labour. In Ukraine, an adaptive posture and an open-minded attitude to solutions are proving an effective adversary.  

 The critical tactical importance of the ‘near-ground’ battlespace has been exemplified in the Ukraine conflict. This space is dominated by UAS, counter UAS and EW. Indeed, the sheer array and quantity of technology deployed in this battlespace is indicative of its importance. Drones are being used across all military roles, from surveillance, EW and communications through to logistics resupply, loitering munitions and weapon delivery. New capabilities are even being developed in the field, specifically for the near-ground battlespace. Obsolete anti-tank grenades are being fitted with 3D-printed tailfins to allow them to be air-dropped from drones, highlighting again the resourceful posture that has been so important. What smaller conflicts, like Nagorno- Karabakh, have hinted at has been proved beyond all doubt by Ukraine: whomever controls the near-ground battlespace can dominate the battlefield.   The Ukraine conflict has repeatedly shown the importance of an adaptive posture and an unsentimental preparedness to innovate wherever possible. Militaries from across the world should learn these lessons and seek to apply them to their own modernisation efforts. In the UK, there are significant strides being made that align with these lessons. The Future Commando Force (FCF) is transforming the Royal Marines into an ‘autonomous advance force’, including the creation of agile rapid response teams. Similarly, the Army’s programme on human machine teaming aims to leverage both commercial and military technologies, with a focus on the near-ground battlespace. However, I suspect that the hard-learned lessons of the AFU can be put to great use more widely, across the whole UK military.  

James Peddell has an outstanding track record of leadership at the forefront of global innovation and technology for defence. His previous roles include Head of Sensor Systems for the Defence Science & Technology Laboratory, Research Director for the Royal Navy’s £60M S&T programme, Defence Technology Attaché at the British Embassy in Washington and Head of Defence Innovation at Roke Manor Research. Through Black Jellyfish Ltd and a partnership with Canny Comms, James engages with government and industry to provide expert advice, develop partnerships and accelerate innovation in defence. 

What can the world learn from Ukraine's agile and innovative approach?

Warfare: the mother of all innovation

A team of academics, experts, or professionals in a specific field often develops their own communication style, filled with jargon that expedites dialogue within their bubble. However, when engaging outside of their expertise, understanding and conveying complex concepts becomes a challenge. That's where our multidisciplinary team excels. With our unique blend of communication, technical, and industry expertise, we bridge the gap by quickly grasping the intellectual and technical issues. From advanced computing to biotechnology, we ensure that engineers, scientists, and others are better understood through accessible language and compelling visuals. Collaborate, scale, innovate - let us help you communicate effectively.

A team of academics, experts or professionals in a specific field will often develop their own bespoke communication style. Between them, there is a collective understanding of complicated concepts which can often show itself as a shorthand form of speech, where a certain level of knowledge is implied. What might seem like alienating jargon is actually there to expedite dialogue.  

But that jargon, as it becomes the new normal, becomes a problem when that team needs to engage outside of their own bubble. This could be for reasons of collaboration, with experts in different fields, or for commercial reasons, with financial investors who want to know whether scalability, efficiency or innovation are possible. Often, with emerging technologies, this engagement is fundamental to the inception of the product or service. 

The difficult but not insurmountable communication challenge is to understand the intellectual and technical issues in order to frame everything within messages using more accessible language. This is where we are most at home, fitting neatly into a technical team, able to quickly understand the complex scientific, technical and industry details, before transforming that information into words and images that make sense to those outside of the bubble. 

We are able to do this because of our unique multidisciplinary team which combines communications experts with technical and industry experts.  Whether it’s advanced computing, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, autonomy, robotics, directed energy, hypersonics or biotechnology, we will understand what you do quickly so we can get on with making sure others get it too.  

A team of academics, experts, or professionals in a specific field often develops their own communication style, filled with jargon that expedites dialogue within their bubble.

Helping engineers and scientists to be better understood

Our entry, 'a media service: unbiased geopolitical analysis' and was focused on our PR work with our long-standing client Sibylline.

They are an excellent case study of how a concerted, targeted media strategy can result in enhanced media coverage. From comparatively humble beginnings, Sibylline has established itself as one of the leading independent risk analysis firms. They now count many firms in the FTSE 250 and Fortune 500 as their clients, and their growth shows no sign of slowing down.

In 2019, Canny was enlisted to help Sibylline showcase its expertise to the world through PR. Given Canny’s specialism in defence and security, knowledge of the threat environment and the news agenda, we used our well-established relationships with national and international correspondents in the industry to build credible examples of commentary. This, combined with us setting up the systems to provide an expert commentary service for breaking geopolitical news, we quickly gained traction with the wider media.

Sibylline’s geopolitical analysis is now a regular fixture in the UK, and international press. Their CEO, Justin Crump can be routinely seen on BBC News, Sky News, Deutsche Welle and Radio Four's Today program, among many others. It’s not just their CEO either, the sage insights of their regional analysts can frequently be found in such publications such as The Sunday Times, Wired and Barron’s.

We now look forward to the awards ceremony in October and keep our fingers crossed for a win!

Justin Crump, CEO of Sibylline presenting a news bulletin on Sky News

Canny has been shortlisted for the Chartered Insitute of Public Relations 2023 Pride Awards in the category of Best Use of Media Relations.

Defence PR: Canny is shortlisted for a 2023 Pride Award

Olivia comes straight from the University of Nottingham, where she has just earned a first-class MA in international security and terrorism as well as a BA in politics and international relations.  This gives her a solid theoretical understanding of international security issues and an appreciation for the complex geopolitical challenges that our clients often face.

Olivia's master's thesis examined the challenges faced by the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament in Britain and explored whether the committee could operate effectively in the coming years. In the course of preparing her dissertation, she had the privilege of working with former members of the committee, gaining valuable experience in handling sensitive data. 

Olivia has always enjoyed a high level of sport, having spent ten years as an elite gymnast and, most recently, winning the national championships with her university's cheerleading team. Through cheerleading, she found a love for communication while managing social channels as the team’s publicity secretary.

Olivia lept at the chance to work for Canny as she'll be able to craft a career that combines her long-standing political interests with her emerging skills in communications. Within the first week of joining us, Olivia started a foundation award in public relations with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and immediately added value to our varied and interesting client work. 

We are happy to share that Olivia Berringer has joined the Canny team as an account executive.

International security and terrorism graduate joins the team

Wiltshire and Hereford-based communications consultancy, Canny Comms Ltd (Canny) is launching a new digital twinning service in conjunction with Monmouth-based Motion Real Estate Media.

This service was unveiled at the Three Counties Defence and Security Expo taking place at Three Counties Showground in Malvern on Thursday 3rd November. Three Counties is an opportunity for companies within Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire to come together to research and build opportunities within the defence and security industry. It was the obvious event at which to announce this regional partnership.

Motion RE Media specialise in 3D virtual reality, digital twinning and drone technologies. With an already impressive track record in property, aviation and consumer product industries and having worked with the likes of Audi on the launch of the RS5 and bootmakers Fairfax and Favour on a virtual shopping experience. 

By partnering with Canny, a communications and marketing agency which specialises in defence and security, the joint-team will deliver new ways to market and explain complex technology and products which will go on to protect national security. 

The first project the team undertook was to capture a digital twin of the Royal International Air Tattoo chalet line and showground within an interactive map. 

Lindsay Compton, CEO of Canny Comms said, “Often, the challenge with technology adoption is getting people to understand the potential of it and how to trust it. We aim to use our skills in communication and marketing to get great technology into front line hands more quickly. 3D virtual reality is another way of bringing technology to life; ensuring it gets the backing it deserves, whether that’s from an investor or the end user and everyone else in between. Even better that we’ve found the perfect partner just a whisker over the Herefordshire border.”

Harry Ravenhill, Director and co-founder of Motion RE Media said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with another company on our doorstep. To launch our new service at the Three Counties Showground is particularly poignant not just because of our locality, but also because our services were founded in giving farmers, property and landowners a digital view of their buildings and land. A service born in agriculture is now at an agricultural showground to launch into another industry for which the region is so well known.”

“Defence and security is a natural step for us. Where you need to take complex products and emerging technologies to market, you have to work harder to bring concepts to life and capture your audience’s attention. We are seeing more and more companies turning to drone mapping, 360-degree filming and 3D VR technologies to help them do this, now it’s time for defence and security campaigns to do the same. 

Canny partners with a Monmouth-based company to bring digital twinning and 360 imagery to defence and security organisations.

Canny Comms unveils its digital twinning services at the Three Counties Defence and Security Expo

Seb will be supporting the full breadth of our activity, bringing with him a good understanding of the global context, particularly in international relations, in which our military and therefore our clients operate within.   

Seb grew up and lives in Wiltshire. He completed a BA in War Studies at King’s College London, before tackling an MA in European Politics at Exeter University. He has also studied European Human Rights Law at the London School of Economics, putting him in a strong position to craft high-quality content for our clients.  

Sebastian said, "I am energised by the prospect of working alongside Canny's incredibly knowledgeable team, and I expect to learn a huge amount".

We are very pleased that Sebastian Newton has joined our team to start his career as an account executive.

Canny benefits from a dose of emerging international relations talent

Jonny has over a decade of experience, beginning his career with AirTanker at RAF Brize Norton, where he first worked with Canny’s CEO, before moving to the Royal International Air Tattoo to build its social following across five shows from 2016 to 2020. More recently, Jonny has been writing for and leading the marketing activities for general aviation publication FLYER. He now joins the Canny team on a freelance basis, bringing his creative flare and love for technology to specialist projects.

As well as being an expert content creator and comms pro, Jonny is also nuts about aircraft, a qualified pilot, a brilliant photographer and videographer, and a dab hand at graphic design. We are lucky to have him as part of the team.

Below is a selection of Jonny’s photographs, so you can judge his talent for yourself!

Canny welcomes Jonny Salmon, an expert in aviation and defence, to the team.

We welcome a new comms expert to the team

Canny is a communications consultancy which specialises in defence, based in Wiltshire and Herefordshire.  The Canny team will be supporting 3CDSE’s communications across social media, the website and press media, as well as videoing the event itself and supporting our exhibitors in their marketing and communications.   

Canny is well versed in our industry with a unique multidisciplinary team which mixes communications professionals with technology and industry specialists, all of whom are experts in commercialising technology & innovation. 

Anna Roby-Welford, CEO of 3CDSE said, “We are delighted to have Canny Comms on board as our communications partner. Their understanding of Ministry of Defence, our industry and most importantly the people that we need to engage with will benefit all stakeholders. We have lots of exciting aspects to 3CDSE 2022, and are delighted to welcome some fantastic new and returning sponsors and exhibitors, so do watch this space for more news!” 

We would encourage all of our partners and exhibitors, as well as the media to get in touch with Canny to make the most of Canny’s experience and the event itself. 

Ahead of the highly anticipated return of 3CDSE on 2–3 November 2022, 3CDSE is pleased to announce that Canny Comms has been appointed as our official public relations and communications partner for the event.

Canny Comms announced as official public relations and communications partner for 3CDSE 2022

We are very privileged to work with such a client in Sibylline Ltd. Below is a snapshot of some of the expert comments they have provided in the run-up to, and since, the invasion of Ukraine:

The i newspaper: "For tanks to be truly effective against Russia, Ukraine needs a large and comparatively common fleet, which it will be able to secure with the Leopard 2," said Mr Crump, a military veteran and reservist and founder and chief executive of intelligence risk firm Sibylline.

BBC Newsnight: Watch Alexander Lord, Senior Eurasia Analyst, as he joined BBC Newsnight to discuss Russia’s deadly mercenary force known as the Wagner Group. What the full stream: https://lnkd.in/eu4wEJ-X. Alex’s segment starts: 19:00

BBC Radio 4 World Tonight: Listen to Justin Crump, Sibylline Ltd CEO, as he joins the World Tonight program to discuss Russia’s procurement and use of inexpensive drones from Iran in the battlefields of Ukraine. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/e-tayBZ6. Justin Crump’s segment: 09:50

The Times Red Box: It's time to prepare for the worst in Ukraine... Let's hope they remain mired long enough for us to learn and not lapse into old habits. Justin Crump is chief executive of Sibylline...

The Times: CEO, veteran and intelligence expert, Justin Crump speaking to Larisa Brown said "the resistance was stiffer than expected, with Ukrainians fighting “tooth and nail” in places and denying the Russians the use of bridges and railways." https://lnkd.in/g2mQwm-r

BBC Radio 4: Justin talking about the "dichotomy as to how Russia is doing". Listen from 55:33 https://lnkd.in/d5dM5ZUz

Business Insider, for Phil Rosen: "The central bank needs access to foreign exchange reserves to stop the [bank] run, but with G7 sanctions preventing access, the domestic economic situation is likely to deteriorate further," said: John Harley Breen, lead global risk analyst: https://lnkd.in/diCZW2jE

BBC News: Justin speaking to Maryam Moshiri on the key aspects of Russia's advance. Watch from 16.18: https://lnkd.in/dcQKYj2d

BBC Worldwide: Liana Semchuk, Ph.D talking about businesses operating in the region. Listen from 5:15 https://lnkd.in/dFE9UrKd

Times Radio: Ukrainians are trying to retake Kherson "slowly, steadily and possibly successfully." Listen to Sibylline Ltd CEO, Justin Crump, speaking to Aasmah Mir and Stig Abell on Times Radio Breakfast. Listen from 01:25: https://lnkd.in/dp5pvCrW

DW News: Read Justin Crump's, Sibylline Ltd CEO, comments for DW News on the weapons systems and the difficulties in increasing deliveries.

Sky News: Justin Crump, Sibylline Ltd CEO, on Sky News talking to Jayne Secker about Russia making advances in the city of Severodonetsk. First broadcast on the 16 June. Watch the full clip here:https://lnkd.in/e3w3Kq5u

Business Insider: Read Liana Semchuk, Ph.D, Lead Europe and Eurasia Analyst at Sibylline Ltd, comments for International Business Times UK on Russia cutting off gas to Europe:  https://lnkd.in/eRns9TkD

iNews: Read Justin Crump's comments for iNewsTV discussing the war in Ukraine: https://lnkd.in/e5qysE-f

Sky News: Justin Crump's, Sibylline Ltd CEO, comments for Sky News on the missile strikes in Ukraine. The article was written by Jack Taylor and Adam Parker, data and forensics unit.

These are just a few of the 600 pieces of coverage secured for Sibylline between February 2022 and January 2023. 

As we all try to understand what's happening in #Ukraine, it has never been so important to have unbiased, insightful and accurate information from genuine experts.

Explaining the Ukraine war

Their successful research project, in collaboration with leading organizations and experts in global forecasting AI, demonstrates the potential of advanced NLP and generative deep learning technologies. By combining communications and technology expertise, Canny Comms delivers competitive advantage to technical organizations, enabling effective engagement and goal realization. Explore their groundbreaking work in improving forecasting performance and deploying innovative technologies in defense and commercial applications.

Canny Comms has successfully delivered its first research and development project for the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). 

The project, led by us, brought together a multi-disciplinary team to assess the feasibility of emerging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies in improving geopolitical forecasting performance.

This collaborative approach combined domain expertise from communications strategy, defence technology and intelligence analysis through Canny, Black Jellyfish and Sibylline, with experts in emerging areas of natural language processing (NLP) and generative deep learning (GDL) in Verge Technology and x-Sentience. 

Our technology specialists demonstrated emerging and ‘generation-after-next’ technologies, providing an insight into what future technologies the intelligence community could adopt or need to counter. This project has demonstrated the significant potential for AI and ML to enhance an analyst’s ability to forecast complex geopolitical events. Advanced NLP was able to understand the military and political context of news articles, whilst the GDL technology proved to be a powerful automated predictive tool. There is now an opportunity to develop this technology further and exploit its potential for wider defence and commercial applications. 

Canny has grown over the past three years to include security and technology specialists from industry, government and defence. This fusion of communications and technology expertise allows Canny Comms to deliver competitive advantage to technical and complex organisations, allowing them to successfully engage with their audiences and realise their goals. 

Speaking after the demonstration of the project’s findings, CEO Lindsay Compton said, “Our driving force is to use our expertise to get great technology into the hands of military users quicker. This contract has made great use of the skills within the team and our network to do just that.”

Canny Comms leverages global expertise in AI and ML to enhance geopolitical forecasting.

Clearer times ahead as Canny collaborates to push the limits of global forecasting using AI

This award reflects the effort that Canny Comms has gone to make service personnel, community members, and supporting reservists as part of its team.

Canny Comms CEO, Lindsay Harbottle, a military spouse herself, said, “We provide really flexible and rewarding roles which suit spouses, veterans and reservists well. The skills and experience we gain in the organisation are fundamental to our services and our clients benefit hugely too. Its lovely to be recognised for our efforts to support a community we care passionately about – now to start planning for gold!”  

Canny Comms signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant in January 2021, first achieving the bronze award. Further requirements for Silver Award include the need to proactively demonstrate that the armed forces community are not unfairly disadvantaged during the recruitment process, that the workforce is aware of positive HR policies and a framework exists to support Reserves personnel, including at least 5 days additional leave.  

To find out more about the scheme visit the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme. 

Canny Comms has been announced as the recipient of a Silver Award by the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme.

Canny Comms wins Armed Forces Covenant - Silver Award: Proudly supporting those who serve

This is the topic of an entire management course. Course content may include a romp around areas such as a flawed business case, a weak understanding of your current position, over-optimism about almost everything, a change in the environment or customer/competitor behaviour that you didn’t predict and to which you can’t respond… the list goes on.

Many strategies also fail, of course, because they don’t get implemented: they stay in a folder – usually a blue one in my experience – so that companies can say they have a strategy.

Strategies are generally about people.  One of the great weaknesses of almost everyone is the overpowering desire to believe that the future is simply more of the past – more specifically, that the future is a linear extrapolation of the past. 

Despite there being overwhelming evidence to the contrary, a majority, certainly those who deem themselves to be ‘doing ok’ have a cognitive bias that reinforces the perception of future stability which is rarely seen in practice.

This is important when a business wants people to change to implement its strategy.  Much advised is the notion of a “north star”, the “burning bridge”, the “sunny uplands”, ensuring your teams understand what they are all striving towards and their part to play in achieving it.  But selling these ideas to a workforce – or a wider stakeholder community - who might have to undergo some instability or change is a non-trivial element of strategy implementation.

At its core, this is about strategic clarity, simply expressed in a language to which all stakeholders can relate and which is constantly reinforced. 

This isn’t about broadcasting a message – if a business undertakes this journey of change, the management and strategists must allow themselves, as part of this communications process, to embrace the almost limitless demands for evidence, cross-examination and dialogue. Silence, although often hoped for, is far more worrying, than engagement and critique: these are signs that stakeholders are trying to understand 

No matter how well-founded the intent and no matter how well-crafted the strategy, without consistency and clarity in communications, your stakeholders – be they clients, customers, employees, local communities – cannot be aligned, even if they say they are, with the strategic intent of the business. As important as the plan, is the plan of how you’ll explain it to your team, including the time to listen and adapt your plans, based on your employees’ challenges and ideas.

Les is a defence and security industry specialist. Up until last year, Les was a board member of £650m pa BAE Systems Maritime services.  He is now one of Canny Comms senior consultants, providing expertise in business strategy, business development and win strategies.

Wise words from experienced strategist, Les Gregory, to help you achieve strategic success and avoid failure.

Unlocking Strategic Success: Insights from Experienced Strategist Les Gregory

Last week, the UK’s new Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin KCB ADC, gave his first public speech to the Royal United Services Institute, in which he outlined his view on key challenges and priorities for the Ministry of Defence (MOD). 

While he did not focus on the role of technology and innovation, the opportunities and threats posed by them were implicit throughout.

He emphasised that we face a complex and dangerous global environment, comparable to the Cold War, as democracies and autocracies confront each other. Yet, while he used the Cold War analogy, Admiral Radakin also noted that we are closer to Kissinger’s view of co-evolution or, for my scientific brain, ‘each action eliciting an equal and opposite reaction’, rather than in a static stand-off. 

“We co-operate, we contest and we even confront. But frequently we are doing all at the same time, in the same place and even with the same state.” 

In the Cold War, reliance was on nuclear weapons to offset Russia’s strength in numbers. In the ’70s it was a reliance on technological superiority. The 2010s highlighted the ability for non-state adversaries to adopt cheap and emerging technologies quickly with little thought to risk, much to their advantage in the midst of a slow-moving MOD. 

Once an exclusive capability of Western militaries, specialist and deadly technology can now be developed quickly by anyone, with good or bad motivations. Today’s arms race is not so much about might and size but instead about the speed and delivery of capability to outpace our ‘diligence-free’ adversaries, all while maintaining a moral high ground. It’s no longer just an issue of resources but one of mentality and creation of the right incubation environment; the advantage is gained in the speed and reliability with which new technology can be developed and deployed. 

CDS recognises that a change in approach is the only way to win this race, especially given the need to modernise what they already have, at the same time as exploiting emerging technologies. 

The first change is clear from the increase in budgets and strategic intent laid out in the Integrated Review. This will go a long way to addressing the challenge of delivering.

Coming into the role with the strategy and budgets in place, Admiral Radakin’s clear focus is the “delivery, delivery, delivery” of a modern and proactive armed force, at a far increased pace - no simple task. Being forced to deliver more quickly usually leads to the avoidance of risks associated with emerging technology, favouring tried-and-tested solutions. 

So how does he propose to do it? By “transforming, reforming and integrating” to streamline structure and processes. Done well, I see this as a move to foster greater collaboration, sharing knowledge and technology to accelerate capability. It should not just be limited to the internal workings of the MOD. Instead, collaboration must extend to industry, especially SMEs and those innovating outside of defence, as well as taking advantage of more “active and engaged” armed forces around the world, to learn and partner where appropriate. 

There are some brilliant SMEs in defence, some of which we have the privilege to work with and, therefore, see the potential applications of their technology. But we cannot expect them to develop brilliant solutions when only understanding half the problem they are trying to solve. A new approach to collaborating must avoid the tendency of one-way hoovering of innovation from these sources, and instead enact a two-way sharing to give these groups a clearer idea of what’s needed. With knowledge, you will see the most brilliant and innovative companies respond with gusto, solving a significant part of Radakin’s problem of delivery in one clear effort. 

The leap forward this requires in terms of managing risk is undeniable. Radakin notes that this means a whole new appreciation for the role, people and culture of the MOD and armed forces. 

Unlocking potential and empowering individuals, in my mind, has to be the single most important way to achieve a step-change in delivery. In CDS’ own words, “We have to overcome our risk aversion that dominates when we are in the business space and infuse some of the confidence in risk taking we always have when we are on operations.” 

If this sentiment alone can be delivered upon, then I am cautiously optimistic that he will succeed. I promise to do my bit in making sure the MOD, armed forces and its supply chain hear all about the brilliant and innovative companies we have the privilege to work with.

The last year has seen a clear recognition that technology and innovation must play a central role in defence.

A canny take on CDS’ first speech: collaboration, unlocking potential and empowering individuals

New ideas, whether they be processes or technology often struggle to get traction. 

Whether an inventor strives to establish themselves in the market or, as is more often the case, seeks an established business as its route to market, things are tough.  Ralph Waldo Emerson is often quoted (wrongly and out of context, I think) as saying “if you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door” – nothing, of course, could be further from the truth.

However, if you are seeking a general ‘law of innovation latency’ might I suggest that ideas take longer to get to market than the idea generator thinks because, from the point of view of the market, the risk-adjusted business case for so doing is not sufficiently compelling.

What this means is that the case for adopting a new gizmo will be overwhelming to the inventor when it’s on the laboratory bench or in the workshop – ‘even an idiot couldn’t fail to see….’.  But from the point of view of a business seeking to pick up new ideas and take them to market profitably, there is a blizzard of other, and from the inventor’s view, often tedious and irritating, issues to be dealt with.

Being able to see both points of view – the inventor’s claim to be able to change the world AND the worry of “how do I know this isn’t a massive cash sink which doesn’t result in a differentiated market position?” is fundamental.  Even more so when the language of the inventor isn’t necessarily the language of the market.

A better understanding of where it will be applied informs development, but it also gives you the opportunity to understand and explain your technology in a way that your target market can understand – accelerating its success. Funding is easier to source, investors easier to secure, adopters will demand its development and competing solutions will be left in the dust.

The key to not taking 20 years; integrate business development, communications and marketing early on in the process to provide vital insight, inform the development and ensure its success – or fast failure. 

Our industry advisor, Les Gregory looks at how you can speed up the success of new ideas.

Why do things seem to take 20 years to become an overnight success?

Mark has 18 years of experience in researching and managing technology in defence and security.

Mark’s career started at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) as a research engineer and trials manager, later taking on the roles of project manager and technical lead. Projects ranged from blue-sky research to support of in-service military capabilities.

Mark’s career then took him to Marlborough Communications Limited, in the role of a project manager. Mark managed the introduction into service of a number of specialist military capabilities, as well as in-service support of current and legacy systems. He combined this with the preparation and management of tenders for defence contracts.

Mark is a chartered mechanical engineer and joins Canny Comms to provide expert advice and support on technology, the industry and business development as we help our clients to commercialise their technology.

We are very pleased to say that Mark Hawkins joins the team today as innovation & technology consultant.

A new team member

Make UK Defence’s Competitive Advantage Programme brings together a team of industry experts to provide advice and services to members to aid them in areas such as business strategy, productivity, sales & marketing and security.  

Get in touch via defence@makeuk.org for more information on the programme. 

We are pleased to confirm that we have been selected as a partner in the Make UK Defence Competitive Advantage programme launched at DSEI today.

Competitive advantage programme

How you think you win bids Vs how you ACTUALLY win bids

How you make sure they have no reason to say 'no' 

Winning work in Defence

Our founder and director, Lindsay Compton spoke as part of the Make UK Defence Meet the Member event on 21st June 2021.

Winning bids in defence

Our combined ability to understand complex technology will give our clients competitive advantage in the defence and security industry, ensuring the right people see the value in what they do.

We will work with clients to commercialise your technology, develop your business, win funding and grow your order book. Our services span the disciplines of strategy, innovation, business development, bidding, communications and marketing.

Whether you need occasional advice, or for us to become a key part of your team, we can’t wait to help.

Canny Comms has joined forces with technology consultancy, Black Jellyfish to offer a unique combination of expertise that will deliver an end-to-end service for commercialising technology and innovation.

New partnership with technology consultancy

We’re using the occasion as an opportunity to introduce and celebrate the members of our team who just happen to be married to the military, as well as specialising in it. 

Sam kicked off her career in defence with the United States Air Force in airfield support. A role that quickly grew into a diplomatic and operational one as events in Libya unfolded. 

Selection for the MOD’s internal talent programme jettisoned Sam into roles such as supporting the four-star in charge of Joint Forces Command, policy desk officer for Afghanistan leading on Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance and technology, and private investigations and cyber support in the US. 

Between leaving the MOD and joining the Canny Comms team, Sam worked in technology development and innovation for disaster response with the American Red Cross. 

Sam now supports our technical and innovative clients, all while fostering her own two start-ups in biotechnology to reduce plastic consumption and textile circularity in defence. Sam is also the CTO for a newly-formed military families not-for-profit organisation e50K. 

Jessica has over 13 years’ experience working in defence, providing flight operations support within fast-jet training, military air transport and frontline rotary environments, both in the UK and on overseas deployments with partner nations. 

Through her military career and subsequent roles in learning and development, she has built up extensive experience in providing clear and concise written communications and training materials for use within the MOD and both national private- and public-sector organisations.

Jessica has professionally trained in copy editing and proofreading with the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading and has a first-class degree in modern language studies. 

Jessica is, quite simply, essential to delivering accurate and authentic copy for our military-focused clients. 

Annabel jumped into the defence sector from Financial Services sector in 2002, joining Dstl on its formation as its PR and media manager. Working alongside the most fascinating scientists, Annabel communicated the significance of their ground-breaking and life-saving science and technology.

So began Annabel’s fascination with innovation. During her time at Dstl, Annabel spent a year on secondment to the Australian Department of Defence, as well as in the MOD press office specialising in the operational aspect of science and technology.  

Following time in Germany as SSAFA Chairperson of Western European Committee, and on return to the UK, Annabel’s interest in innovation was reignited as communications consultant for BAE Systems working on strategic stakeholder maritime communications.  Annabel then moved to a communications agency as Senior Project Manager advising the European Commission on accelerating sustainable innovation. 

Annabel joined us from the role of storyteller for the Defence and Security Accelerator. That wealth of experience now aids our clients in communicating their stories of technology, innovation and contribution to defence and security. 

A childhood surrounded by books and model aeroplanes fostered a keen interest and appreciation for the military. Suzie’s first entry into the global defence arena, however, was through the UK-registered charity, The Russian Aviation Research Trust, run by her father. 

Suzie brings an organised, but also a medical and military, mind to our team, drawing on wider experience as a diagnostic radiographer, former British Army cadet instructor and civil servant. 

Suzie now keeps the Canny Comms team in check, setting up meetings, carrying out background research, compiling media lists and taking care of the essential admin. 

Founder and director of Canny Comms, Lindsay is a proud military spouse, ‘brat’, enthusiast and specialist. 

From AI and cyber security to aviation and maritime, Lindsay has built her technical and defence expertise by working with leading brands such as BAE Systems, AirTanker (a joint venture made up of Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Babcock, Thales and Cobham) and Chemring-owned technology innovator Roke. 

Lindsay set up Canny Comms in 2019 with the aim of making it easier for technical and complex businesses to successfully engage with their audiences by using a communications consultancy that really understands the market and the technology. The company works with a number of clients, from PLCs to SMEs and start-ups, who are developing technology which is set to deliver the next generation of military capability. 

A team that understands the environment as well as the technology is essential to providing a brilliant service. Due to the need for this experience, and in line with our pledge to the Armed Forces Covenant, we are providing flexible and interesting roles which are proving to work well alongside the military family life. 

It’s Military Spouse Day today in the US.

Celebrating Military Spouse Day

Apprenticeship – so much more than training, 

I completed my RAF Flight Systems Apprenticeship 47 years ago  and arrived in my first workplace knowing I was following many others who had trodden the same path over many years. The training had been much more than technical study, it was a recipe for self-confidence, teamwork and respect for my colleagues and my Service. I felt not only proud of my new status but also of my uniform and what it meant to be an airman. 

Armed Forces apprenticeships are tough. Students have to complete their technical training plus fitness training and general service training. This includes hours on the parade square, on the weapons ranges, completing expedition training, and learning how to present oneself in an immaculate uniform with super-clean barracks. Military culture is unique 

After seven years in the ranks, I commissioned and became a pilot. The selection and training were not as daunting as my apprenticeship because my apprentice training drill sergeant (Alec Talboys RIP) had taught me not to fear anything – avoid, accept or confront, and ideally the latter. I was lucky enough to be presented with the Sword of Honour from my Officer Training Course and, I as left the parade ground with my prize, a senior service colleague said “I expect you are very proud of that prize”; I was.  The citation stated that those presented with the sword would go further in the RAF than their cohorts; however, statistics show that the fact that commissioned ex apprentices are more likely achieve higher rank than Sword of Honour winners. 

I went on to serve almost four decades in the RAF with assignments with all three Services as well as the United States Air Force, NATO and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). I’ve travelled the world and flown nine different aircraft types, I now have extensive knowledge of autonomous systems operations and regulation, as well as security equipment and procedures.

In my journey from flight systems apprentice to pilot to diplomat, I have been lucky enough to command the team controlling the UK Air Defence Region, to specialise in command and battle space management and be the custodian of the MOD’s Information Operations Doctrine. I have also taught leadership, planning and strategy at the Joint Staff College (post graduate) and counter terrorism and crisis management with the FCO in Pakistan. 

Apprentice training prepared me perfectly for my Service life and gave me the functional skills and the mental resilience which have remained with me throughout my life. The hands-on nature of apprentice training gave me an inherent feel for the technical systems in the aircraft I flew, which could never have been gained from manuals and study alone.

These qualities took me from a few O levels to masters degree; from apprentice engineer to  flying instructor and senior rank followed by 12 years as an independent consultant and more recently to provide Canny Comms clients with context and understanding of the military environment.  

And yes, if I were beginning the journey again, especially with the benefit of hindsight, I would start my career in exactly the same way and with great enthusiasm. I would love to be the principal of a University Tech College; such is my belief in the power and benefits of vocational training. 

From apprentice to the board of BAE Systems Maritime Services

In October 1973, I took an 18 minute walk from my home to start a four year apprenticeship at the then Plessey Radar at Cowes on the Isle of Wight.  I had hair and ambition in equal measure and was armed only with a handful of O levels and a vague feeling of irrational optimism, having taken the decision to leave school earlier than most of my peers.

Forty-six years later, I have less hair and a more refined, perhaps balanced, set of ambitions.

During the intervening years it has been a pleasure to work on some of the country’s most ex-citing defence programmes and, as most people in my position would hopefully say, privileged to work with some of the most gifted and talented people you could hope to encounter.

An apprenticeship is a fantastic way to enter the world of business.  During four years of work on the shop floor, in drawing offices and laboratories, I developed skills and capabilities which, at the time, I hardly recognised but have been of massive value throughout my career.  By the time I went to University, I was much better equipped, with more practical knowledge and discipline than most of those who had come straight from sixth form.

After graduating, I worked in engineering and, over the years, covered project engineering, marketing, business development, overseas sales support and various levels of management; on the way encompassing almost every aspect of the business.  I’ve helped develop new technologies, been part of many business re-organisations, closed and moved sites, been part of the team which acquired and integrated new businesses, sold bits of business AND re-structured.  I’ve developed and implemented strategies, managed business winning campaigns and run major projects of national importance.

During the years up to the end of my time with BAE Systems, I ran a £260m turnover business within the larger corporation: we had 1200 people on five major sites and five business streams, one of which was the radar business at which I’d started work 40 years ago.  We de-signed, developed, built and supported advanced radars, the world’s most sophisticated torpedoes and fast boats: we manufactured critical assemblies for other companies’ mission critical equipment; established and managed advanced warfighter training for above and sub sur-face operators and set up an information management business.  

Not bad for a boy with a handful of O levels.  Now I have the pleasure of sharing this experience with Canny Comms and its clients.