The Keynote Arena will be home to a range of the leading and most influential speakers from across the defence procurement and supply chain marketplace. Joining names like Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence), Stuart Andrew MP; and the MOD’s Commercial Director, Supply Chain, Jim Carter will be adventurer Ant Middleton.
Best known for his role as Chief Instructor on hit show, ‘SAS: Who Dares Wins’ (Channel 4), Ant Middleton has become a much-loved and admired master of survival and endurance on- and off-screen, spurred by his formidable career in the UK’s elite forces, including the Marines, 9 Parachute Squadron and SBS.
Joining the armed forces at the age of 16, Ant quickly impressed with his determination, skill and grit before joining the Royal Marines, 9 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers and then the Special Boat Service (SBS) sister unit of the SAS, in 2008 where he spent four years. Continuing to excel, Ant earned the position of a point man/lead scout as well as a primary fires operator and sniper, before eventually earning a place in the UK Special Forces Selection.
Having achieved the ‘Holy Trinity’ of the UK’s Elite Forces (P Company, Commando Course, UK Special Forces Selection), Ant’s career took a different direction when he left the SAS and embarked on a career in security looking after VIPs, before operating as a security expert in South Africa and various other countries for West African governments.
His impressive body of work, including training presidential security teams and running SAS style corporate events, eventually led him to embark on a career in television, which continues to flourish.
With an insatiable appetite for adventure, 2017 saw Ant front the incredibly well received Mutiny (Channel 4), a show that re-enacted Captain William Bligh’s infamous 3,500 nautical mile voyage in a small vessel (the ship’s open launch) following his crew’s mutiny, an event commonly known as the ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’. The programme saw Ant captain a crew of 18 (replicating the loyalists who were also thrown off the HMS Bounty by mutineers) and take on the same physically strenuous and challenging voyage as Bligh did in 1789.
Ant has also fronted Channel 4’s survivalist programme Escape, centred on placing skilled engineers in precarious situations; the teams must use their skills to escape their predicament and get to safety.
Don’t miss out on your chance to hear directly from those who are actively engaged in both setting and delivering the direction of the UK’s defence procurement and supply chain strategy and Ant Middleton’s unique take on mindset and leadership.
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