Ian King (BAE Systems)
Encyclopedia
Ian King is the CEO of BAE Systems
, responsible for all of the company's business operations. For this role he is paid an annual base salary of £935,000. King is also a non-executive director of Rotork plc
, an engineering company.
and British Aerospace
. King joined BAE from Marconi. Previous roles include Chief executive officer
(CEO) of Alenia Marconi Systems
, a partnership between Marconi and Finmeccanica
, Finance Director and Deputy Managing Director of Marconi Electronic Systems and non Executive Director of the Canadian Marconi Company.
When BAE Systems was created in November 1999 King was named Group Strategy & Planning Director. In December 2000 King was appointed group managing director of BAE Systems Customer Solutions and Support
.
In November 2006 BAE Systems appointed King COO with effect from 2007-01-01. King was promoted in what the Financial Times
described as "in part designed to improve relations with the MoD further". This follows a general improvement in relations since acrimony in 2003. The previous co-COOs were Chris Geoghegan and Steve Mogford. The Independent described King's appointment as COO as part of the "succession battle" to succeed BAE CEO Michael Turner
.
contracts. However on 27 June 2008 BAE announced that it had selected King to succeed Turner with effect from 1 September 2008; The Financial Times noted that King's career at Marconi distances him from the British Aerospace-led Al Yamamah project.
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
, responsible for all of the company's business operations. For this role he is paid an annual base salary of £935,000. King is also a non-executive director of Rotork plc
Rotork
Rotork plc is a British-based manufacturing company. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
, an engineering company.
Career
BAE Systems was created by a merger of Marconi Electronic SystemsMarconi Electronic Systems
Marconi Electronic Systems , or GEC-Marconi as it was until 1998, was the defence arm of The General Electric Company . It was demerged from GEC and acquired by British Aerospace on November 30, 1999 to form BAE Systems...
and British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
. King joined BAE from Marconi. Previous roles include Chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
(CEO) of Alenia Marconi Systems
Alenia Marconi Systems
Alenia Marconi Systems was a major European integrated defence electronics company and an equal shares joint venture between BAE Systems and Finmeccanica until its dissolution on May 3, 2005....
, a partnership between Marconi and Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica
Finmeccanica S.p.A. is an Italian conglomerate. Finmeccanica is the second largest industrial group and the largest of the hi-tech industrial groups based in Italy. It works in the fields of defence, aerospace, security, automation, transport and energy...
, Finance Director and Deputy Managing Director of Marconi Electronic Systems and non Executive Director of the Canadian Marconi Company.
When BAE Systems was created in November 1999 King was named Group Strategy & Planning Director. In December 2000 King was appointed group managing director of BAE Systems Customer Solutions and Support
BAE Systems Customer Solutions & Support
BAE Systems Customer Solutions & Support provides through-life support and upgrades for defence forces. The RAF Tornado GR4 upgrade is an example of the work undertaken by the CS&S division....
.
In November 2006 BAE Systems appointed King COO with effect from 2007-01-01. King was promoted in what the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
described as "in part designed to improve relations with the MoD further". This follows a general improvement in relations since acrimony in 2003. The previous co-COOs were Chris Geoghegan and Steve Mogford. The Independent described King's appointment as COO as part of the "succession battle" to succeed BAE CEO Michael Turner
Michael Turner (businessman)
Michael John Turner CBE is the former Chief Executive Officer of the aerospace and defence company BAE Systems.-Early life:He attended Didsbury Technical High School on School Lane in Didsbury...
.
CEO
On 15 October 2007 BAE Systems announced that its CEO Mike Turner would step down from his role in 2008. While King was always named as a candidate to replace him as CEO, press reports suggested BAE would prefer an American CEO due to the increasing importance of the United States defence market to the company and the opportunity to make a clean break from corruption allegations and investigations related to the Al YamamahAl Yamamah
Al Yamamah is the name of a series of a record arms sales by the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia, which have been paid for by the delivery of up to of crude oil per day to the UK government. The prime contractor has been BAE Systems and its predecessor British Aerospace...
contracts. However on 27 June 2008 BAE announced that it had selected King to succeed Turner with effect from 1 September 2008; The Financial Times noted that King's career at Marconi distances him from the British Aerospace-led Al Yamamah project.