The Team

Chief Executive Officer

Rob Murray is a global expert in defence investment, innovation, and emerging technology. He was the founding architect of DIANA and the NATO Innovation Fund, reshaping how allied nations invest in dual-use capabilities.

At NATO, he spent nearly a decade in the Defence Investment team, working closely with National Armaments Directors. He served as Head of ISR, led the land and maritime portfolio, and became the Alliance’s first Head of Innovation, where he mobilised private capital to accelerate technology adoption.

He has served as Chief Innovation Officer at Saab, is a fellow at MIT and Imperial College London, and teaches at Johns Hopkins University. Rob holds an MBA from Chicago Booth, an MA in International Relations, and an MSc in Intelligence Management.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Marcus Fedder has had a career in both development banking and investment banking.  He was Treasurer of EBRD and worked at the World Bank before that.

After EBRD he was Vice Chair and Head of Europe and Asia-Pacific for TD Securities, the wholesale business of the Toronto Dominion Bank.  He was also a director of the International Finance Facility for Immunisation and is now Chair of TCX, the Currency Exchange Fund and advises development finance institutions on financial matters. He started his career at Deutsche Bank in derivatives.

Marcus holds a PhD from FU Berlin in Political Sciences, a MPhil from Cambridge and a Diploma from LSE, both in Internatioal Relations.

President and Chief Operations Officer

Kevin Reed has over 25 years’ experience as a leader in C-suite roles. He has been involved in more than 30 acquisitions and has extensive experience related to the turnaround and start-up of numerous private and public companies.

Mr. Reed co-founded a Canadian Financial Institution (OSFI Regulated) for which he served as the Vice- Chairman, CEO & President and led transactions in excess of $12 billion. Mr. Reed was appointed as an Honorary Colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces from 2008 to 2017.

Mr. Reed also served as the Honorary Consular General for the Republic of Singapore to Canada.

Chief Financial Officer

Bradely Sparks is Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Laredo Oil, Inc. and has been a director since March 1, 2011. Mr. Sparks currently serves on the Board of Directors of Comrise, a privately-held global enterprise. 

Mr. Sparks graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1969 and is a former Army Captain in the Signal Corps. He received a Master of Science in Management degree from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1975 and is a licensed CPA in Florida.  Mr. Sparks is Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary and co-founder of Children's Airway First Foundation, a U.S. based 501(c)3 charity focused on helping 

400 million children globally with airway and sleep disorders.

Chief of Staff

Hugo Barker is pursuing a PhD as the inaugural Lord David Sainsbury Scholar at Imperial College London’s Centre for Sectoral Economic Performance, specialising in the economics of data—examining how privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) and alternative data governance models can impact data sharing for innovation in national security and defence. 

Hugo has worked extensively at the intersection of policy, technology, and security, contributing to UK government initiatives by providing expert advice to DCMS, Parliament, and regulators. He also played a key role in developing NATO DIANA’s evaluation process for dual-use startups.

His academic background includes a First-Class MA (Hons) in Economics and an MSc Distinction in Security and Resilience: Science & Technology, with affiliations to SPRITE+, MIT, the Council on Geostrategy, New Diplomacy Project, and Imperial’s Institute for Security Science & Technology (ISST).

Chief Economic Adviser

Dr. Rebecca Harding is CEO of the Centre for Economic Security, a Senior Fellow of the British Foreign Policy Group, and an Associate at Earendel Associates. She has held senior positions as Head of Corporate Research at Deloitte, Senior Fellow at London Business School, and Chief Economist roles at the Work Foundation and at UK Finance.

She is an associate Partner of the T3i network, a member of the World Trade Board and the ICC’s sustainable trade “Eco-terms” working group, and co-chairs the ITFA’s ESG Audit Council. Between 2004 and 2018 she was a Director and Trustee of the German-British Forum.

Senior Military Policy Adviser

Brigadier (retired) Robbie Boyd is CEO of Encompass B.V., a Brussels-based Defence strategic advisory services company. He is also a Non Executive Director and Strategic Advisory Board member to several other scale-up companies.

His last military role was as the principal military, political, strategic adviser and assistant to the Chair of the NATO Military Committee. He spent three years leading the major American tech research and innovation company Gartner’s consulting activities across NATO and EU Defence as a Managing Partner.

Robbie regularly lectures at the United Kingdom Defence Academy and is a Senior Fellow at Royal United Services Institute and European War Institute (OPEWI).

Senior Adviser Capital Markets

David is a senior advisor with the investment bank Alantra in London with has a deep experience of debt capital markets (DCM).  He joined  Alantra in 2024 after 38 years with JPMorgan where he worked in a variety of roles including  origination, syndicate and trading.  In terms of leadership roles he ran FIG Syndicate, EMTNs and ECP,  moving onto head FIG DCM and co-heading DCM in EMEA.  His final role at JPMorgan was Chairman DCM.

Outside of the firm he was Deputy Chairman of ICMA (International Capital Markets Association) and served on the Audit and Risk Committee at RUSI.      

Senior Adviser Treasury, Risk, and Capital Markets

John Cummins was CEO of Aviva Capital Partners until end of 2024 when he stepped down to become Senior Advisor till April 2025. He set up this direct group capital investment arm of Aviva Group from June 2021 with 20 investment professionals. 

Prior to that he was MD of Future Cities at Legal and General Capital from March 2018 to June 2021. He built up a team of 25 investment professionals. Key note deals included the £4 billion Joint Venture  with Oxford University and Bruntwood Sci Tech JV, one of the largest life sciences investments in UK. 

From October 2007 to January 2017 he was RBS Group Treasurer where he led team managing balance sheet through the GFC and reduction of global short term funding. His responsibility included a global team of 400 staff with the management of all long and short term wholesale funding,  structural interest rate and fx risks. 

He has a MA in Modern History from Oxford University and a MBA from Bradford University. 

Special Adviser Germany

Said D. Werner is a Berlin-based strategy and policy advisor who works with governments, corporations, associations, foundations, and political parties. He is also a research affiliate with the Behavioral & Policy Sciences group at the MIT Sloan School of Management and an affiliate director at MIT Sloan’s Lab for Deep Tech and Geopolitics. His work focuses on the nexus of public policy, technological innovation, and entrepreneurial ecosystems. 

Said served as a technology policy advisor to the Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and was a member of the Digital Economy Advisory Board to the Minister for Economic Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia. He holds an MLitt in International Business from the University of St Andrews and a BA (Hons) in Sociology, Politics, and Economics from Zeppelin University, where he also served for a year as University Vice President for Student Affairs.

Special Adviser United Kingdom

Sebastian Bassett‑James brings nearly two decades of experience across defence, law enforcement, national security, and national-level crisis management. He oversaw the UK’s national resilience function and operational capability within the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBR), established the National Flood Response Centre, and was the architect of the UK’s operational planning for a no-deal Brexit; designing and leading preparations to safeguard public services, critical infrastructure, and supply chains. He later founded the National Security & Risk Unit within the Grants Management Function, mitigating economic and systemic threats to the UK. He was subsequently appointed as the first National Security and Resilience Adviser to the UK Government’s Commercial Function, aligning commercial imperatives with national security priorities. A recognised authority on resilience and national security across government and industry, he holds fellowships with several leading academic and professional institutions.

Special Adviser Australia and New Zealand

Tom Pascarella has been in Sydney since 1989 with a long career in international corporate and investment banking in New York, Sydney and Singapore with Chase Manhattan, Citibank, Banque Paribas and Bank of America. Tom’s last leadership role in banking was CEO of BoA Australia. Always on the client coverage side, Tom has enjoyed banking all industries with capital, hedging, treasury and cross-border corporate finance solutions.

Currently a Partner with Allen Partners in Sydney, the team runs capital raising programs for fund managers and SMEs, and advises a wide range of institutional and wholesale investors. Tom is a past President of AmCham Australia and Chair of the Australian-American Fulbright Commission.

Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Tom attended Princeton (AB, Political Economy) and completed the Advanced Management Program at Oxford/Templeton College.

Chairman of the Board

Former Chairman of the NATO Military Committee

Air Chief Marshal Lord Stuart Peach served as the 32nd Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, was the United Kingdom’s Chief of the Defence Staff and was the former UK Prime Minister's Special Envoy to Western Balkans.

A highly decorated military leader, he played a key role in shaping NATO’s defense strategy, cyber security, and transatlantic military cooperation.

As an experienced chair, and strategic adviser including in the international defence and aerospace sector, his expertise continues to influence policies and outcomes.

Board Director

Former Deputy Secretary General of NATO

Mircea Geoană served as NATO’s Deputy Secretary General from 2019 to 2024. As the Alliance’s “innovation champion” and Chair of NATO’s Innovation Board, he contributed to the creation of the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) and the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF). He played a key role in strengthening transatlantic security, advancing NATO’s defense strategy and fostering global partnership. 

He is a proeminent public figure in Romania, with a distinguished domestic and international career, as an Ambassador of Romania to the US, Minister of Foreign Affairs or President of the Romanian Senate. Nonetheless, Mircea Geoana is the Founder and President of Aspen Institute Romania since 2006. 

Board Director

Former Chief of the Defence Staff, Canadian Forces

General (retired) Rick Hillier is a distinguished military leader who served as Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Forces from 2005 to 2008. He played a key role in modernizing Canada’s armed forces and strengthening international defense alliances. He led Canadian forces through major global missions, including Afghanistan. Known for his leadership and strategic vision, he continues advising governments and organizations on defense and security.

Board Director

CEO DSRB Development Group

Rob Murray is a defence investment expert with over 25 years of experience in military, government, and industry. As CEO of the DSR Bank, he leads efforts to mobilize capital for defence and security resilience. Previously, he was NATO’s first Head of Innovation, where he created the NATO Innovation Fund and the DIANA initiative. He is a former British Army officer and corporate executive serving as Chief Innovation Officer at Saab. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and professor at Johns Hopkins University.

Board Director

CBE, Director at MW&L Capital Partners

Matthew Westerman is Founder and Director of MW&L Capital Partners, a private investment vehicle with holdings in multiple businesses. He spent most of his 30-year banking career at Goldman Sachs, where he led investment banking in Asia (ex-Japan and Australia) and in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He also held senior roles at Rothschild and HSBC.

He is an Independent Non-Executive Director at Schroders PLC. He also serves on the Global Advisory Board of Kekst CNC, the strategic consultancy arm of Publicis Group, and the Investment Committee of Mapletree, Temasek’s real estate arm.

Matthew is Trustee and Chair of The Clocktower Foundation, a Foundation Fellow of Balliol College, University of Oxford, and a Board member of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.