Simon Harwoood has over 30 years’ experience in the defence and security sector having had experience in government, industry, politics and academia.

As the strategy and technology director for Leonardo in the UK, Simon is responsible for directing the company strategy, research and development, innovation, intellectual property and partnership activity. Simon also advises numerous technology start-ups, is an expert subject matter advisor to HMG Cabinet Office National Security risk secretariat, and board member of the UK’s Oxford-Cambridge supercluster.

Simon was previously the director of defence and security at Cranfield University and chairman of the academic, Resilience, Intelligence and Security Community (RISC) group, reporting to the security minister. Prior to this Simon has worked for Boeing’s Phantom Works, US DOD’s DARPA and Her Majesty’s Government (Defence, and Foreign Offices) and served an eight-year term as a district councillor.

Sam Staincliffe is the Co-Founder and CEO of Uplift360, a dual-use cleantech company transforming end-of-life (EOL) composite waste into high-value materials through circular chemistry. Motivated by the environmental and economic costs of composite waste, she launched Uplift360 with Jamie Meighan in 2021 to develop scalable fibre-regeneration technologies. Today, Uplift360’s proprietary platforms, RENEW and ChemR, are redefining what’s possible in aramid and carbon fibre recovery — enabling closed-loop supply chains across defence, aerospace, and high-performance sectors. A proven leader in high-stakes environments, Sam is forging global partnerships, driving cleantech commercialisation, and positioning Uplift360 at the forefront of sustainable materials innovation.

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