The Prime Minister has appointed Mike Utley CB OBE and Edward Stringer as Naval and RAF Trustees respectively of the Imperial War Museum.
Mike Utley CB OBE and Edward Stringer have been appointed by the Prime Minister as Naval and RAF Trustees respectively of the Imperial War Museum for a four year period from 1 November 2020 to 31 October 2024.
Mike Utley joined the Royal Navy in 1988 as a Warfare Officer, spending his early years on global operations at sea. Commands at various ranks include a Patrol Boat, two Offshore Patrol Vessels, the Type 23 frigate HMS PORTLAND and the amphibious aircraft carrier HMS ILLUSTRIOUS, during which he was awarded an Operational OBE for service in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan in The Philippines. He commanded NATO’s at sea high readiness Task Group in the Mediterranean then assumed command of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group, driving the operational training programme and integration between HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH and the F35-B. As Commander UK Strike Force, he is the Royal Navy’s deployable 2* operational commander at five days’ notice to command operations. He is a graduate of Advanced and Higher Command and Staff Courses and a member of the Royal College of Defence Studies. Shore appointments have focussed on the MOD, including Deputy Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of Defence Staff, maritime staff officer within Defence Operational Capability and Deputy Head of the NATO and European Policy Team. A Freeman of the Worshipful Companies of Shipwrights and Lightmongers, he lives in South Wales with his wife and five daughters.
Air Marshal Edward Stringer is the Director General of Joint Force Development, and DG Defence Academy, within Joint Forces Command. For those familiar with military terminology he is the de facto ‘J7’ for the UK’s Military Strategic Headquarters. For those not so steeped, he owns the conceptual element of UK fighting power: concepts & doctrine, training & education, exercise & experimentation, lessons learned & innovation. Before that he was Assistant CDS (Operations) in the MOD in Whitehall, essentially the MOD’s operations director – from UK flood-relief to the Deterrent. Previously he had been ACAS, the RAF’s Assistant Chief, responsible for all policy interaction with MOD and for the RAF Board’s business. He arrived there from seeing the inside of the Pentagon as CDS’ Liaison Officer to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. A previous Commandant Air Warfare Centre and head of RAF Intelligence he has had operational commands in Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Balkans. A one time Jaguar pilot and weapons instructor (QWI) he first saw action in the Gulf War in ’91 and in the no-fly zone (NFZ) operations that followed.
These roles are not remunerated. These appointments have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments, the process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Government’s Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared. This is defined as holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. Mr Utley and Mr Stringer have not declared any activity.