Leadership Restructure Signals New Growth Phase

Cervus Defence and Security is undergoing a significant leadership restructure to support its continued growth and expansion. Founded in 2014 by Alan Roan, Chris Baddeley, and Paddy Little, Cervus Defence began as a small venture and has since grown into an international business serving clients across the UK, US, Europe, and the Middle East.

Alan Roan – With experience in international defence firms and the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Roan also served as an Infantry Officer during the ‘Tony Blair Years,’ with operational tours in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, East Timor, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Chris Baddeley – Baddeley transitioned from infantry service to defence simulation, specialising in training support, experimentation, and research. His military career included operational tours in Iraq, Northern Ireland, and Afghanistan.

Paddy Little – Little worked in international training and simulation before advising on Security Sector Reform in West Africa. His 17-year tenure as an Infantry Officer included operational tours in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, and Afghanistan, a training advisory role in South Africa, and the completion of an MBA at the Joint Services Command and Staff College.

To drive Cervus Defence into its next phase of sales led growth, the founders will be transitioning into new and more customer facing roles:

Paddy Little – Founder & Executive Director, Marketing & Sales (Europe & MENA)

Alan Roan – Founder & Executive Director, Marketing & Sales (UK, NATO, Europe & Americas)

Chris Baddeley – Founder & Executive Director, Marketing & Sales (Americas & Rest of the World)

In addition, Cervus has appointed Steve Boughton as Chairman and Gareth Vaughan as Managing Director.

Steve Boughton, a Royal Air Force veteran, has served as Cervus Defence’s Non-Executive Director for nine years. His experience includes a 20-year RAF career, followed by leadership roles at QinetiQ, where he specialised in defence experimentation, organisational transformation, and growth. Steve has also held senior positions in FTSE-250 and private equity-backed firms, supporting business scale-ups and strategic expansion.

Gareth Vaughan brings a wealth of experience in scaling SME defence businesses and delivering mission-critical software solutions. His career highlights include:

Leading Techmodal Ltd as Managing Director, transforming it into a leading data science consultancy and securing its acquisition by BAE Systems; spearheading the scale-up of Overwatch Aerospace, a military UAV start-up, by establishing new facilities, teams, and client relationships; and driving growth at SEA (Systems Engineering & Assessment), where he led complex defence and transport projects.

Alan Roan, Managing Director, emphasised the significance of these changes: “This restructuring marks an important step in Cervus Defence’s journey. With contracts in the UK, Europe and the US, and our work within the Omnia Training partnership, we are focused on expanding our capabilities and delivering exceptional results. Strengthening our leadership team will help us achieve our final transformation towards a high-growth product-based company.”