At our 2024 Critical Mass Summit, a workshop focused on the
challenges facing the sector, the most difficult being seen to be
that defence has an image problem. This year’s Summit examined
how that image might be re-crafted.
Tackling reputation and image as key themes, we were pleased
to welcome Louise Atkinson, Chief People Officer from Babcock
International, who spoke about the operational importance of
women to defence. Elif Güvençer, from reputation intelligence firm
RepTrak, shared insights on the impact of reputation on organisational
outcomes. We were then shown how this intelligence could be used
in practice, with Babcock’s Group Strategic Marketing Director Ebru
Ozguc sharing how the organisation has used reputational surveys
to rework its image.
Air Commodore Jamie Thompson CBE spoke to us about ‘Framing
the Future’, sharing ideas on allyship and how Defence can attract
and retain the best talent to meet new challenges. And lastly, we
heard from the Security Service on Shaping Perception, exploring
the steps we need to take to attract and nurture female tech talent
in the AI space