[With this post, DA begins a regular feature, CEO Corner, that revolves around the views and activities of CEOs in our industry – large and small, well-known and less so – but all of whom have something of interest to contribute to the evolving understanding of the true values, challenges and benefits of better defence and security]
Dr Kelvin Hamilton is the founding CEO of Aylesbury-based Flare Bright Limited, an ambitious – and capable – enterprise seeking to become “the world’s most trusted supplier of software-based capability enhancements for robotic and crewed vehicles”. Currently focused on safety-related solutions for uncrewed systems – safe UAS navigation in GPS-denied environments and safe flight termination in exigent circumstances, for example – the company’s innovate approach to problem solving has already started to make inroads into the defence and security continuum in the United Kingdom and beyond.
At the time of chatting with Dr Hamilton, the UK’s Strategic Defence Review had recently been published and DA asked him whether there was a direct and immediate effect on his company. “Well, we are an SME [small and medium-sized enterprise] so there is little direct effect, although I think most prime contractors will be well pleased with the outcome. There are good messages herein, however: a long-term commitment to support for SMEs, who have supported the ecosystem for well over 40 years with agile innovation – and a good sum of £400 million set aside for SME innovation through the DIU”.
Asked what lessons he and his colleagues are drawing from watching the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Hamilton commented “It is really watching the speed of innovation that is the key learning point. Even the most agile of SMEs would currently have difficulty keeping up with the rapidity of solution development and implementation we are seeing on a daily basis”.
A company whose reputation has been built – rapidly – on being disruptive in the most positive manner possible must have a view on disruption’s pros and cons. “It is a great thing to find ourselves taken seriously every time we knock on a door. To have got ourselves on the government radar is a huge success – it is something of a grind to exploit that advantage but we are getting there. Lessons learned from all sources help – for example, I am ever mindful of the Hemingway explanation for how one of his characters went bankrupt: ‘Gradually, then suddenly.’ We are avoiding that!”
We hear all too frequently that it is difficult to find, attract and retain quality employees with the right qualities to fit in to accelerating companies, particularly in the high tech arena. Does Flare Bright face the same challenge? “To a degree, yes. We are, in the final analysis, competing with the massive salary packages that accompany offers from behemoths like Amazon and similar tech giants. I think the fundamental reason we continue to bring ‘right-minded’ people into our orbit is the professional culture of respect we offer, coupled with a variety of soft benefits that are attractive to people with long-term objectives”.
A common complaint from SMEs centres on the complexity, opacity and extended timescales of the procurement process, which can often cripple healthy cashflow projections at the drop of a hat. Hamilton, however, sees encouraging signs that the MoD in the UK is aware and committed to improving the process – as is increasingly the case in other sovereign nations. “You just need to look at Task Force Kindred [an MoD initiative to simplify and accelerate the procurement of energetic materials over a three year period to enhance support for Ukraine] as an example. Defence is now empowered – go forth and make a difference, we are being told. A faster contracting route is emerging and there is now an all-party group of MPs that is trying to clarify and clear the way for better outcomes for all”.
Flare Bright’s success to date has revolved around offering an effective and affordable solution to seemingly intractable problems – and being in the right place at the right time. The latter issue is taken care of by the company’s business development team, which is to be found at almost every relevant conference, colloquium or committee meeting. Having broken even three years ago – and with a combined investment in the high single digits millions – Flare Bright is on an even keel, thanks to what Hamilton describes as “a ruthlessly managed business plan”. The company is in the process of appointing a Chief Operations Officer, continues its flag-waving activities via the Chief Commercial Officer’s team and continues to encourage and support its growing staff – with the imminent institution of a share option scheme, for example. This is a company to watch out for as it continues to innovate and disrupt. It will be exhibiting at DSEI 2025 in London this week – on stand N6-185. It will be worth having a chat.
Image: Dr Kelvin Hamilton (right) demonstrating the utility of Flare Bright’s UAS solutions to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel reeves and Secretary of State for Defence John Healey. (UK MoD Defence Imagery)
