In conversation with...James Gayner MBE, Director of Defence at Plexal
TechExchange’s Founder and Principal, Andriy Dovbenko, speaks to James Gayner MBE, Director of Defence at startup innovation consultancy, Plexal and ex-British Army infantry officer.
AD: What fuelled your decision to join the British Army?
JG: I joined the infantry to expose myself to what I considered the ultimate challenge of front-line operational experience and leading people in that crucible; to me both those callings aren’t antithetical at all. I left the regular Army (I remain a Reservist – I haven’t been able to go completely cold turkey!) when I judged my ability to continue to make an impact on the mission would be better served ‘on the other side’.
AD: How did you step from military service into the world of startup innovation?
JG: I’ve been fascinated by technology for as long as I can remember. I’m a compulsive tinkerer and love to know how things work. I see technology as nothing less than the essence of human progress, holding the promise of a better future. A friend suggested Plexal and I found instant alignment in terms of the work they do (at that point it was mostly focussed on National Security rather than Defence) and their values and approach. I haven’t looked back.
AD: What exposure did you have to new technologies / startups and the assessment of them when you were full-time in the British Army?
JG: That has been a thread woven throughout my first career; but largely on what more could and should be done, from a MoD perspective, to deploy new technologies. In other words, we looked at the technology that Allies, particularly the US, had at their disposal and, increasingly, that which is available on the open market. This focused not only on Defence Primes but startups and scaleups too.
I felt increasingly frustrated that we didn’t seem able to be even a fast-follower, let alone set the pace of DefenceTech development - and this has only become more challenging as the rate of development has sped up inexorably.
I felt increasingly frustrated that we didn’t seem able to be even a fast-follower, let alone set the pace of DefenceTech development - and this has only become more challenging as the rate of development has sped up inexorably.
AD: Do you have a specific example of when you found this to be a challenge?
JG: A case in point would be the time I spend running the ISR effort in Helmand, Afghanistan. The UK undoubtedly contributed to the overall effort, but more through manned reconnaissance patrols (with all the risk and, sadly, tragedies that entails) than through the provision of tech solutions.
The natural order-of-magnitude difference in budgets is partly why, of course, but in truth it’s much more to do with the difficulty that all large organisations, and government departments in particular (not just in the UK) have with adopting the agile, risk-tolerant, fail-fast approaches bringing this together requires.
The natural order-of-magnitude difference in budgets is partly why, of course, but in truth it’s much more to do with the difficulty that all large organisations, and government departments in particular (not just in the UK) have with adopting the agile, risk-tolerant, fail-fast approaches bringing this together requires.
AD: What is your remit as Director of Defence at Plexal?
JG: I lead all our Defence work and have spearheaded our successful move into the sector over the last 2 years. In practice, this means on one hand pursuing growth opportunities with MOD and related HMG organisations, the Defence Primes, BigTech / hyperscale cloud providers and the investment community focussed on this sector, and on the other hand delivering everything from small projects to major innovation programmes to those customers we are privileged to work with.
AD: What is your remit as Director of Defence at Plexal?
JG: I lead all our Defence work and have spearheaded our successful move into the sector over the last 2 years. In practice, this means on one hand pursuing growth opportunities with MOD and related HMG organisations, the Defence Primes, BigTech / hyperscale cloud providers and the investment community focussed on this sector, and on the other hand delivering everything from small projects to major innovation programmes to those customers we are privileged to work with.
AD: Why and when did Plexal decide to give Defence - which has often been perceived as a taboo sub-sector within the tech industry - focus and profile?
JG: Plexal already had a significant profile in National Security before bringing me in to expand that into Defence. For the companies’ leadership, it felt like a natural evolution. We have always been 100% committed to the mission of government, so I don’t think it would be credible to pick-and-choose in terms of what that means; I also think that the dividing line between National Security and Defence is super fuzzy, and rightly so.
There’s also no doubt that the invasion of Ukraine has helped the free world reconsider the importance of Defence and ‘get over’ some of the squeamishness that has bedevilled particularly private capital investor sentiment towards the sector. The idea that Defence is somehow anti-ESG has always struck me as perverse; I’m glad to see the green shoots of change in this regard but we still have a way to go.
There’s also no doubt that the invasion of Ukraine has helped the free world reconsider the importance of Defence and ‘get over’ some of the squeamishness that has bedevilled particularly private capital investor sentiment towards the sector. The idea that Defence is somehow anti-ESG has always struck me as perverse; I’m glad to see the green shoots of change in this regard but we still have a way to go.
AD: What are the key areas that you look at within Plexal under the ‘defence’ banner - as you’re also co-Vice Chair of the Cyber Security SME Forum for TechUK does cyber tend to be the main focus?
JG: No, not at all. Plexal’s first major HMG contract was a cyber-focussed one, back in 2017 (DCMS’ London Office for Cybersecurity Advancement, or LORCA, accelerator programme) but we’ve long since expanded into all deep / emerging tech. Cyber is incredibly important though, of course, and, on the Defensive Cyber side at least, is inherently ‘Dual Use’ in nature, so it’s a big part of the broader Defence Tech scene. Other areas we’re deeply involved in are UAS / drones, AI (of course!), Data Analytics, communications and Space technologies.
AD: What are you doing with the DefenceTech startups you work with, how do you source them, what are the key objectives?
JG: It depends on what our customers ask of us. We have the ability to reach out and find, and just as importantly validate, startups that may not be on the radar of the government department or the large commercial organisation. We can act as the orchestrator to ensure the operator, customer, startup and investor can see and understand each other and come together effectively and efficiently to deliver capability that otherwise may never have seen the light of day. This includes everything from market analysis through to major accelerator programmes, innovation ‘clusters’ around a location, technology or corporation, and advising on innovation strategy at the macro level.
We’re absolutely not a trade body for startups; this is all about accessing the tech, and ultimately talent, that otherwise can be invisible. Too often governments or major Defence corporations are not perceived as attractive customers, and very often it is hard for them to see the 95% of the iceberg that sits beneath the waterline (very often for that exact reason); we’re determined to help change that.
We’re absolutely not a trade body for startups; this is all about accessing the tech, and ultimately talent, that otherwise can be invisible. Too often governments or major Defence corporations are not perceived as attractive customers, and very often it is hard for them to see the 95% of the iceberg that sits beneath the waterline (very often for that exact reason); we’re determined to help change that.
AD: How do you operate and interact with the MoD and Armed Forces on a regular basis and what does the Armed Forces Covenant signed a year ago mean in practice?
JG: We are currently delivering through several MoD contracts and can see a real impact from our work. I’m confident there’s much more we can do and we have good links into all the operating areas of the Department including the Armed Forces themselves. As an ex-Regular and current Reservist, I’m as committed to protecting the nation and countering threats as I have ever been, and this is equally true of the company as a whole. The Covenant is simply an expression of that commitment, and our enduring respect for those willing and able to put themselves on the front line, be that physical or virtual.
AD: Can you tell us about any success stories / milestones so far?
JG: There’s no doubt in my mind that the broader UK Defence enterprise – MOD, industry large and small, investors and academia – is making real progress in getting ‘match-fit’ to leverage the sorts of potential capabilities we can see emerging from startups, scale-ups and other SMEs. We play a part in helping all elements of that ecosystem have better visibility of the others, and then where it is right so to do, facilitating the commercial relationships necessary to get that product or service across the infamous ‘valley of death’ and into the hands of our front-line (be that actual or virtual) operators. There’s much more work to do, but things are trending in the right direction and that is hugely exciting.