LONDON — Pagefield has appointed defence specialist John Louth as a senior advisor, as it looks to continue its growth in the defence sector.

Louth has been a specialist advisor to the UK House of Commons’ Defence Select Committee since 2012 and is a former director of defence, industries and society research at defence and security think tank the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

During his time at RUSI, Louth published papers on defence industrial strategy and procurement practices, advised the Colombian government on defence industrial reform as part of the peace process and chaired the UK-Australian Defence Maritime Collaboration Dialogue in London and Sydney. He was also the independent chair of the Ministry of Defence’s Industry Nuclear Engineering Skills Review.

Pagefield chief executive Oliver Foster said: “Following several years of record growth, one of our priorities in 2022 is to add even more talent to our team of senior advisors, ensuring we continue to offer our clients industry-leading experience across the worlds of media, politics and business. In John we have someone with a huge depth of knowledge and respect within the defence sector and across all parties in Westminster, and we are delighted he has decided to join us as we continue to grow our offer in this area.”

Louth added: “Having worked with Pagefield on a couple of projects during my time at RUSI and as advisor to defence companies, I have seen first-hand their strategic thinking and delivery on behalf of their clients. Oli and his team are building a formidable defence practice and I am delighted to join them and add my expertise to their offer.”

Pagefield’s clients in the defence sector currently include Fortune 250 defence technology business Leidos, FTSE 100 British defence company Meggitt, leading maritime technology company Subsea Craft and aerospace services business 2excel.