Neil is an experienced Design Authority and Innovator of Underwater Systems with more than 20 years' domain experience. For the past 3 years Neil has held delegation from the Technical Director as Design Authority over Thales UK customer R&D programmes in the underwater domain. Prior to 2021 Neil held a similar position in Ultra Maritime, with experience at the cutting edge of sonar R&D forged in the early 2000s with DERA & QinetiQ, then expanded across the lifecycle through long term consultancy roles with Leonardo, and BaeSystems Submarines. A recognised Thales Expert, Neil also holds a degree in Applied Physics.