Appointment to widen strategy in UAV market

RNS Number : 5734X

Strat Aero PLC

01 September 2015

 

Strat Aero plc / Index: AIM / TIDM: AERO / Sector: Support Services

1 September 2015

Strat Aero plc ("Strat Aero", the "Company" or the "Group")

Appoints non-executive Director to widen strategy in rapidly growing UAV market

Strat Aero plc, an international aerospace company focused on the rapidly emerging Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ('UAV') sector, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Paul Ryan to the Board as a non-executive Director focused on strategy.  Mr Ryan has 20 years of transactional, commercial and regulatory experience in the telecommunications and ICT sectors with international blue chip entities, during which he has been involved in transactions with a value in excess of US$10 billion.  He will be responsible for business development and the implementation of a more expansive strategy focussed on building a vertically integrated UAV offering, covering all aspects of the value chain, including the provision of innovative software platforms, hardware and pilot training services, both military and commercial.

Mr Ryan has been working with the Company for the past few months to broaden Strat Aero's established presence in the UAV sector and provide a fully integrated service offering.  The Board has recognised that the opportunity in the sector is continuously widening and as a result is looking to further strengthen its management team with similar high calibre professionals with international blue chip commercial experience.  Additionally, in line with an expanding strategy, it is assessing a number of potential partnership and acquisition opportunities which would transform the Company's activities and offering.

Mr Ryan has over 20 years' experience at board level in the telecoms and ICT sectors.  From 2002 to 2013, he held a variety of board positions with leading mobile operator Vodafone and its operating subsidiaries, including Head of Strategy, Regulatory and Political Affairs in Brussels and Director of Strategy and External Affairs for Vodafone Ireland and Vodafone Ghana.  Prior to this, he worked as a management consultant in the European telecoms sector, served as a strategic adviser at Ofcom, the UK's communications industry regulator, and was a solicitor at leading international City law firm Ashurst.  Mr Ryan is Managing Director Europe and Africa for CMAS Holdings LLC, an innovative cellular messaging alert company, where his responsibilities include high value infrastructure sales to the public sector.  He acts as an adviser, primarily on strategy and public policy, to a range of clients including FTSE100 and Fortune 500 companies largely in the ICT space.   Mr Ryan is a qualified solicitor in the UK and graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.

Mr Paul Ryan said: "The UAV space offers an incredible opportunity for a vertically integrated offering covering all elements of the value chain, including software and hardware.  Strat Aero, as a listed vehicle with a recognised presence in the UAV arena, represents an ideal platform on which to capitalise on what I believe to be a potential revolution in business practises.  I am extremely excited to utilise my international experience and network to generate new business, further strengthen our team and facilitate the widening of the UAV strategy."   

Capt. Russell Peck, CEO of Strat Aero, said:  "The UAV is a fast evolving technology that is opening up huge opportunities across multiple sectors.  Combined with the right software platform, UAVs offer enhanced functionality and significant time and cost savings.  We are focused on capturing as much of the margins available in this fast developing sector by building a fully integrated offering including highly innovative software platforms.  Paul's proven expertise and track record in developing strategies that maximise commercial opportunities, and his skill in fostering strong relationships with all stakeholders including regulatory bodies and customers, will prove invaluable as we position Strat Aero as the go to provider of UAV enabled solutions to both military and commercial customers."

Paul Benedict Ryan, aged 48, currently holds or has held the following directorships and partnerships in the last five years:

Current directorships/partnerships	Past directorships/partnerships
Warande1970 BVBA	Netshare Ireland Limited
	Vodafone Belgium SA
	Vodafone Group Services Ireland Limited
	Vodafone Ireland Limited

Mr Ryan was a director of Circle Network (Europe) Limited (Ireland) that was placed into administrative receivership in 2001.  The deficit to unsecured creditors amounted to approximately £500,000.

There is no other information that is required to be disclosed pursuant to Schedule 2 paragraph (g) or Rule 17 of the AIM Rules for Companies.

- ENDS -

Enquiries:

Strat Aero plc
Russell Peck (Chief Executive)	Tel: [phone]
Graham Peck (Chairman)	Tel: [phone]
SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP	Tel: [phone]
Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker
Stuart Gledhill Katy Birkin
Beaufort Securities Limited	Tel: [phone]
Joint Broker Jon Levinson
Elliot Hance
St Brides Partners Ltd	Tel: [phone]
Frank Buhagiar Charlotte Heap

Notes

Strat Aero plc is a multi-divisional international aerospace services company, focussed primarily on the provision of Unmanned Aerial System ('UAS') training solutions, airline management systems and consultancy services to the international aviation market.  The Company has three existing divisions: UAS Pilot Training and Services; Aviation Software, Products; and Services and Aviation Management and Consultancy Services. 

The Company is looking to capitalise on opportunities resulting from the forecasted strong growth in the airline industry and in particular, the predicted exponential growth in the emerging UAV industry over the coming decade.  Civilian, law enforcement and military applications in UASs are expected to be a dynamic growth sector in the aerospace industry over the next 10 years with the UAS market forecast to grow to more than US$82.1 billion between 2015 and 2025 (AUVSI Economic Report 2013) and the global airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance ('ISR') market estimated to grow to US$19.23 billion by 2023. 

 

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