31st Dec 2008 07:02
For immediate release 31 December 2008
Ultra Electronics Holdings plc
("Ultra" or "the Group")
Douglas Caster Awarded CBE in New Year's Honours List
Ultra announces that Douglas Caster, Chief Executive of Ultra, has been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year's Honours List.
The nomination for Douglas's award noted that he is the inspirational leader of Ultra who has made a highly significant personal contribution to the UK defence industry. He leads by example through enormous personal commitment and absolute dedication to driving the continuing success of Ultra. Under his leadership, the Group has consistently grown by more than 12% per annum. He has focused on achieving international success and more than half of Group sales now come from outside the UK. He has led the development of Ultra to be that very rare thing - a highly respected, world-class UK defence electronics company. Ultra is now about the 150th largest quoted company in the UK.
He challenges the leaders of all of the Group's businesses constantly to innovate so as to devise solutions to customer requirements that are different from and better than those of the competition in the eyes of the customer. An outstanding systems engineer in his own right, he frequently improves the proposed solution, always bringing a focus on finding a better solution for the customer.
He insists that innovation is transferred freely around the Group, while always conforming to national security requirements, so that solutions can be offered to national requirements in the different countries in which the Group operates. He drives a culture within the Group that openly embraces innovation from other parties, thereby making Ultra a valued teaming partner, nationally and internationally. Many customers around the world have benefited from this openness. Vital technologies have been transferred within Europe and across the Atlantic in order to provide a sovereign operational capability for the customer nation.
A defining feature of Douglas's management of the Group is his insistence that Ultra always strives to meet its commitments. He believes that a reputation for doing this is one of Ultra's defining and most valuable characteristics and that behaving in this way fosters long-term relationships. Ultra has a reputation of delivering solutions that work, on time and to budget.
Dr. Julian Blogh CBE, Chairman of Ultra commented:
"Douglas shows true dedication and inspirational leadership in ensuring that Ultra provides innovative solutions and meets its commitments to its customers, partners and employees worldwide. We are all delighted that his hard work, abilities and successes are recognised by this award of the CBE and I warmly congratulate him on the occasion."
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Further information about Ultra:
Ultra Electronics is an internationally successful defence and aerospace company with a long, consistent track record of development and growth. Ultra businesses constantly innovate to create solutions to customer requirements that are different from and better than those of the Group's competitors. The Group has over one hundred distinct market or technology niches within more than twenty businesses. The diversity of niches enables Ultra to contribute to a large number of defence, aerospace and civil platforms and programmes and provides resilience to the Group's financial performance.
Ultra has world-leading positions in many of its niches and, as an independent, non-threatening partner, is able to support all of the main prime contractors with specialist capabilities and solutions. As a result of such positioning, Ultra's systems, equipment or services are often mission-critical to the successful operation of the platform to which they contribute. In turn, this mission-criticality secures Ultra's positions for the long term which underpin the superior financial performance of the Group.
Ultra offers support to its customers through the design, delivery and support phases of a programme. Ultra businesses have a high degree of operational autonomy where the local management teams are empowered to devise and implement competitive strategies that reflect their expertise in their specific niches. The Group has a small head office and executive team that provide to the individual businesses the same agile, responsive support that they provide to customers as well as formulating Ultra's overarching, corporate strategy.
Across the Group's three divisions, the major market sectors in which Ultra operates are:
• battlespace IT, summarised as being the systems and equipment that allows coalition commanders to have an integrated, real-time picture of the disposition of friendly and enemy forces that is better than the one available to the enemy. This information superiority underpins rapid decision making which, together with effective command, control and communications, translates into military superiority. The use of battlespace IT is fundamental to the implementation of the military doctrines of 'network-centric warfare' or 'network-enabled capability' that are seen as transformational in the capability to win future battles. Expenditure on battlespace IT equipment therefore continues to represent an increasing share of the total defence budget in the main markets in which Ultra operates.
• sonar systems, expanding Ultra's traditional world-leading airborne anti-submarine warfare capability into broader activities in the underwater battlespace. These include integrated ship and submarine sonar systems, persistent seabed-deployed sensor arrays, torpedo defence and sea mine disposal systems. The fact that over forty countries have, between them, more than four hundred highly capable, stealthy submarines is continuing to focus expenditure in this sector.
• civil and military aircraft equipment, Ultra provides specialist sub-systems and equipment for military and civil aircraft. The main military aircraft programmes on which Ultra equipment is fitted continue to have political support, underpinned by consistent financial commitment. For civil aircraft, record order intake performance by all major aircraft manufacturers underpins increasing build rates for the medium term.
• specialist defence equipment, including power conversion and signature systems for naval ships and submarines. Ultra's specialist capability in high integrity controls for submarine nuclear reactors is included in this sector, for which there is continuing commitment to new platforms and the upgrade of existing boats. Ultra also supplies advanced sub-systems for modern armoured vehicles including those for electrical power management, indirect vision and weapon control. The need for increased mobility and force protection is driving a number of large military vehicle procurements in Ultra's main markets.
• specialist civil systems and equipment, including Ultra's advanced airport IT solutions. Airline passenger growth around the world is driving continuing expansion and upgrade of airport infrastructure. Ultra supplies trackside power equipment for rail transit systems, for which demand continues driven by the need to expand and upgrade rail networks. The UK market for nuclear power generation is expanding and Ultra's offering derived from its equivalent military capability is well positioned to benefit.
Guide to the Honours
British honours are awarded on merit, for exceptional achievement or service.
Anybody can recommend a British national for an honour, which consist of life peerages, knighthoods, appointments to the Order of the British Empire and gallantry awards to servicemen and women and civilians.
The Queen chooses the recipients on the advice of the Prime Minister, to whom recommendations are sent either by government ministers or by members of the public.
Private nominations, made by individuals or by representatives of organisations to the Prime Ministers' Office, make up around a quarter of all recommendations.
Honorary awards for foreign nationals are recommended by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. A number of these orders for chivalry are made after a personal decision made by the Queen.
Life Peers
Life peerages are the only form of peerages regularly created by the Sovereign.
A life peer becomes a baron and sits in the House of Lords on conferment of peerage.
These are titles which they hold only during their lifetime and are not passed to their heirs.
Knights Bachelor
The honour of knighthood comes from the days of medieval chivalry, as does the method used to confer the knighthood: the accolade, or the touch of a sword by the Sovereign.
Although Knights Bachelor do not comprise an order of chivalry, knighthood is a dignity which has its origins in Britain in Saxon times. They are styled "Sir" (except for clergymen who do not receive the accolade) and their wives "Lady".
Women receiving the honour are styled "Dame" but do not receive the accolade.
The Order of the Bath
The Order of the Bath is an order of chivalry and was founded in 1725 for service of the highest calibre. The order has a civil and military division and is awarded in the following ranks: Knight Grand Cross (GCB), Knight Commander (KCB) and Companion (CB).
The Order takes its name from the symbolic bathing which in former times was often part of the preparation of a candidate for knighthood.
Order of St Michael and St George
This Order was founded by King George III in 1818 and is awarded to British subjects who have rendered extraordinary and important services abroad or in the Commonwealth. Ranks in the Order are Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GCMG), Knight or Dame Commander (KCMG or DCMG) and Companion (CMG).
Order of the Companions Honour
This is awarded for service of conspicuous national importance and is limited to 65 people. Recipients wear the initials CH after their name.
Orders of the British Empire
King George V in 1917 created these honours during World War 1 to reward services to the war effort by civilians at home and servicemen in support positions.
The orders are now awarded mainly to civilians and service personnel for public service or other distinctions and have a military and a civil division. Ranks in the Order are Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GBE), Knight or Dame Commander (KBE or DBE), Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE) and Member (MBE).
Royal Victorian Order
By 1896, prime ministers and governments had increased their influence over the distribution of awards and had gained almost total control of the system. Therefore, Queen Victoria instituted The Royal Victorian Order as a personal award for services performed on her behalf.
Today this honour is still awarded in recognition of services to the royal family. The ranks are Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GCVO), Knight or Dame Commander (KCVO or DCVO), Commander (CVO), Lieutenant (LVO) and Member (MVO).
Royal Victorian Medal
Associated with the Royal Victorian Order is the Royal Victorian Medal which has three grades: gold, silver and bronze. The circular medal is attached to the ribbon of the Order.
More than one grade may be held by the same person and the medal may be worn along with the insignia of the Order itself.
Royal Red Cross
Founded in 1883 by Queen Victoria, The award is confined to the Nursing Services. Those awarded the First Class are designated "Members" (RRC): those awarded the Second Class are designated "Associates" (ARRC).
It is said that the suggestion for the founding of this decoration was made to Queen Victoria by Miss Florence Nightingale.
Queen's Police Medal
This is awarded for distinguished service to the police force.
Queen's Fire Service Medal
This honour is given to firemen who have displayed conspicuous devotion to duty.
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