David Gould has a degree in French and European Studies from the University of Sussex.

He joined the Ministry of Defence, Naval Weapons Department, in April 1973.  From then his responsibilities covered NATO, Nuclear Plans and Operations, and Royal Air Force Equipment and Logistics. In 1980 he graduated from the NATO Defence College in Rome, and from 1983 to 1987 was seconded to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK Delegation to NATO.

At the beginning of 1992 he was appointed Under Secretary for Supply and Organisation (Air Force), and at the beginning of 1993 became Under Secretary for Policy in the Ministry of Defence with responsibility for relations with NATO nations and the States of the Former Warsaw Pact. He was seconded to the Cabinet Office, in May 1993 where he had responsibility for contingency planning and current operations, counter-terrorism, defence equipment, civil and military nuclear policy, export controls, and the implications of more widespread public use of cryptography.

David took up the post of Under Secretary (Fleet Support) on return to the Ministry of Defence in September 1995, with particular responsibilities for the sale of the Royal Dockyards and construction of new refitting facilities for VANGUARD class and other nuclear powered submarines.

Following the decision in the Strategic Defence Review to create a joint Defence Logistics Organisation, these duties were combined with the task of creating a joint planning and performance management structure for the new organisation, including the introduction of commercial style accounting across Defence Logistics.

He was appointed Deputy Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency in July 2000, adding the role of Chief Operating Officer in 2004.

He was appointed the Chief Operating Officer of Defence Equipment and Support on formation in April 2007 with responsibility for equipment support to current operations, delivery of all new defence equipment projects, industrial transformation, and technology management across DE&S.

David was also a member of the Defence Science and Technology Board and the Defence Scientific Advisory Council, and is a member of the Oxford University Business Economics Programme steering committee.

David speaks fluent French and Italian, has homes in Bath and Puglia, is a keen member of the Avon and tributaries Angling Association, the Morgan Sports Car Club, and is a passionate supporter of Bath Rugby.

 

Christine Gould joined the Ministry of Defence in 1990 as a Research Assistant at a nuclear establishment.  In the following years, she fulfilled a wide range of appointments, including personnel management, internal management consultancy and development of corporate strategy for a Defence Agency.

Christine then became the Corporate Business Manager to Salvage and Marine Operations in 2004 with the remit to identify and implement strategic improvements.

Subsequently, she successfully changed the operating business model from that of a ‘standard’ Integrated Project Team, based on demands for service made by the frontline commands to that of a Departmental Corporate Service.  This more accurately reflected the way the outputs of the organisation were consumed.

She has also worked on a range of other change initiatives as the project manager, covering a diverse topics such as developing the MOD policy on the recovery of human remains from accidents in a maritime environment, an opt out from the Working Time Directive and devised a Business Continuity Plan to assure service delivery following a disaster.

During this period she studied for an MBA, achieving a distinction award for the final dissertation.  Her other professional qualifications are Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors.  Christine also has a Dipolma in Management Consultancy from the Institute of Management Consultants. 

She is a trustee on the General Council of Seafarers UK, a major charity that supports those who put to sea, such as members of both the Royal and Merchant Navies and UK fishing fleets,  and their families.

In her spare time she is learning Italian.