Defence Security Events

Clarion appoints Rear Admiral (ret) Jon Pentreath for DSEI and Undersea Defence Technology events

Posted 18 November 2020

Clarion Events Defence and Security has announced the appointment of Rear Adm Jon Pentreath CB OBE FRAeS as Military Advisor, primarily providing dedicated support for Clarion’s principal event, DSEI, as well as the specialist Undersea Defence Technology conference and exhibition.

Above: Rear Admiral (ret) Jon Pentreath, Former Commander of the UK Armed Forces Joint Helicopter Command.
Courtesy Clarion

With his significant experience in the naval sector, Pentreath’s appointment will strengthen Clarion’s engagement with the global maritime community, while also providing broader insight into defence and security priorities of UK and international forces.

Fully endorsed by the UK Ministry of Defence, DSEI has a strategically strong standing in the naval and land communities. The expertise Pentreath brings to the role will reinforce DSEI’s growth in these markets, further develop the Royal Navy and British Army’s engagement with industry, and lead the growth of international delegations, high-level military and VIP participants for the event.

In its 2021 iteration, DSEI will support the UK Armed Forces’ multi-domain integration goals, providing a forum for engagement with industry in pursuit of the innovation, technology and data solutions that can deliver a fully cooperative and networked digital force capable of achieving true multi-domain effects.

Pentreath comes to Clarion following a long and decorated career as a helicopter pilot in the Royal Navy that culminated in heading up the UK’s Joint Helicopter Command. With responsibility for the safe operation of some 250 helicopters deployed around the world, as well as British Army drones, this role saw him lead an organisation of over 8,000 servicemen and women from the Royal Navy, the British Army and the Royal Air Force. Earlier roles included a mix of leadership positions, from front line air stations to heading the future helicopter procurement department, punctuated by operational service deployments that included Bosnia and Northern Ireland in the 1990s to Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s.

Pentreath is a graduate of The City University, the Joint Services Command and Staff College, and the Royal College of Defence Studies, and is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Sally de Swart, Managing Director of Clarion Defence and Security, said: “Jon joins us at a time when our offering to the global defence and security sector is going from strength to strength. Our primary purpose is to provide a platform for industry to highlight capabilities across the air, land and sea sectors and do business on a meaningful level across all those domains, under one roof. Despite the challenging environment, we have a busy 2021 calendar featuring both digital and live events for this market. I am delighted to welcome Jon to the team and help us develop our maritime and land offering.”

Rear Adm Pentreath added: “It is with great pleasure and huge enthusiasm that I join the Clarion team to support the organisation’s continued close engagement with the defence sector. This is a period of great change for the British Armed Forces, as they focus on developing integrated capabilities in a rapidly changing and very uncertain world. I hope my background of integrating assets from all 3 Services into a potent Joint Force will stand me in good stead, and I look forward to helping to shape this conversation with the UK MOD, while engaging with our partners in the military community around the world.”