Our Team
Our team includes Defence, National Security, Digital Technology and Data specialists. They have a track record of delivering outcomes across the public and private sectors with the successful delivery of key programs for the UK and West African Governments, and major defence primes.
John Holden
Director & Co-FounderJohn is defence and border security expert with experience spanning military and national security operations.
He was commissioned into the Royal Navy, serving on fleet ships and submarines as well as completing roles at the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ), Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC), and as a United Nations Military advisor.
On leaving the forces, John became a diplomat with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, gaining experience and building networks across public and private sectors. He has expertise in initiating and delivering complex and sensitive international Defence and National Security projects at both diplomatic and in-theatre field operations level.
Richard Walters
Director & Co-founderRichard brings more than three decades of military leadership to every role he undertakes. Over 35 years as both a regular and reserve officer, he has served across the globe on operations and held influential appointments within the Ministry of Defence, Permanent Joint Headquarters, and Naval Command.
Richard’s career has spanned the full spectrum of defence activity, from high‑level strategic planning to the realities of tactical decision‑making on the ground, including working with the FCDO in both Baghdad and Accra.
Justin Butah
Director & Co-founderJustin is a business leader, investor, and former British Army officer with extensive experience in government relations, stakeholder engagement and energy sector development.
Born and raised in West Africa, Justin served for 20 years in the Household Cavalry, deploying to Cyprus, Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan where he developed strong leadership and risk management expertise in complex environments.
Following his military service, Justin joined a FTSE 100 oil exploration and production company, rising to Government Relations and External Affairs Director for its West African business unit, securing support for a US$5 billion oil and gas investment project. He later founded his own oil exploration company, securing two offshore concessions and attracting over US$25 million in investment through a farm-in partnership with a FTSE 250 company.
Chris Steele
Finance Director & Co-founderChris is a Chartered Certified Accountant and finance executive with over twenty years of experience. EY trained, Chris is a former Partner at Control Risks, a globally recognised specialist advisory firm supporting multinational corporations and governments in more than forty-five countries to navigate political, security and integrity risk across complex jurisdictions.
Within that platform, Chris held Global Finance Director roles, leading capital restructurings, strategic transactions, and a high growth multi-jurisdictional venture Incubator.
His background includes UK AIM-listed public company leadership in the extractive industry and senior financial responsibility across West Africa and other emerging markets.
Hamish Dickie
Head of Marketing & EventsHamish brings a wealth of experience across B2B and B2G marketing, events, strategic partnerships and business development from the UK/Eur defence tech landscape and London’s business media industry.
His knowledge of emerging disruptive technologies throughout European NATO is drawn from working with startups and scaleups developing innovative solutions in this domain. Hamish provides unique experiential opportunities for senior stakeholders from govt, military, law enforcement, tech and finance to address challenges and opportunities aligned to our national security interests.
His 9 years’ service in an ISR regiment, including operational experience in Afghanistan, aligns perfectly with Veritasco UK’s integrated AI and data-led border surveillance and intelligent identity management solutions that provide governments and critical industries with 24/7 awareness and security.
THOMAS GORDON
Strategic Technology AdvisorThomas is a strategic technology leader with over 20 years' experience across aerospace, defence, national security and government environments. He began his career as an engineer, developing and integrating mission-critical embedded systems across maritime, airborne, and unmanned platforms, before progressing to Chief Systems Engineer for a leading defence company.
More recently, Thomas has focused on the design and delivery of data-driven systems helping government and defence organisations access, share, and exploit data to support decision-making in complex operational settings.
He has held senior roles supporting UK Government and defence, working closely with stakeholders to define capability, align delivery partners, and provide technical governance and assurance across complex, multi-supplier programmes.
Hauwa Ibrahim El-Yakub
CEO, Inedi Technical SolutionsHauwa is a Nigerian development expert, entrepreneur, and investor with a distinguished career spanning the public and private sectors. She has worked with international organizations and foreign governments on initiatives promoting development, governance, security, technology, and economic transformation.
As the President of the INEDI Group of Companies, she leads a diversified portfolio comprising INEDI Technology Solutions Consulting Limited, INEDI General Enterprises, INEDI Oil and Gas & Houze Al Bait Estates Nigeria Limited, with expanding interests in the mining sector.
Supported by a strong academic background, Hauwa is committed to advancing innovation, investment, industrialisation, and sustainable economic development across Africa through strategic partnerships.