Mick Aston DSO, MC

Experience

• 

  Australian Army

  Dec 1988 - Nov 1998

  Australian Army

  Served in a variety of training and leadership appointments:- Leadership Instructor, Royal Military College, Duntroon - Adjutant.- Troop Commander, 1st Commando Regiment, SOCOMD.- Troop Commander appointments

• 

  British Army

  Nov 1998 - Jan 2005

  Junior Officer/Leader/Student

  Leadership, staff and command appointments in the British Army- serving on operations in Northern Ireland, in NATO and in the UK. 2 years as a Masters student at Cranfield University and UK Joint Services Command and Staff College.

• 

  British Army

  Jul 2005 - Aug 2016

  Led all aspects of operations, crisis response, security, risk management, planning, training and communications for a joint organisation of 3000+. A member of the Management Board to steer the outcomes of the organisation.➤ Key Achievements:◆ Led the national crisis response to migrant landings in Cyprus protecting life, business outputs and reputation.◆ Implemented a review of work practices to increase productivity of 65+ direct reports.◆ Program manager for major protective security project with budget of￡3.4M to protect UK strategic facilities abroad - delivering within budget and on time.◆ Enhanced procedures to improve strategic risk capture and mitigation procedures delivering a solution recognised as 'best practice' for overseas military organisations. Show less Designed, delivered and evaluated training for groups of up to 2000+ unlocking their collective potential, preparing them for operations. Program Manager and Commander for the unit delivering organisational enhancements, driving innovation and providing world-class immersive training.➤ Key Achievements:◆ Designed and delivered a new project for training the Army's cutting-edge capabilities over a 28 day immersive, instrumented and integrated exercise.◆ Coached senior leaders to help them unlock the potential of their teams and improve their collective and individual performance.◆ Drove innovation and the exploitation of new technology with commercial partners to provide world-class, novel and superior training experiences. Show less Led a 650 strong infantry battalion responsible for all aspects of personnel management, planning, logistics, finance, welfare and training to prepare the organisation for operations. I led them to success on a volatile tour of duty in Afghanistan. ➤ Key Achievements:◆ Nationally recognized for leadership of 1500 personnel, on operations in Southern Helmand designing and delivering a bold, highly successful counter-insurgency campaign. ◆ Delivered a change management program to relocate 600 soldiers,140 families and all equipment whilst maintaining operational outputs in advance of a demanding mission in Afghanistan. Show less As a senior strategic planner I provided advice on training, learning lessons and managed the assurance reporting for an organisation of nearly 30 000 reporting directly to the commander (CEO).➤ Key Responsibilities:◆ Principal planning officer in the Army's 3-Star Command responsible for the coordination of management plans.◆ Special projects for Commander FDT to inform the Army's force development, specifically, the development of the Lessons Learned Centre to drive change from lessons on operations. Show less

  • Director of Operations and Security

    Feb 2015 - Aug 2016

  • Commander, Field Training Unit

    Aug 2013 - Feb 2015

  • Commanding Officer - 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment

    Jan 2011 - Aug 2013

  • Senior Strategic Planner - Army Headquarters (Force Development and Training Command)

    Feb 2010 - Dec 2010

  • Battalion Second-in-Command - 2nd Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment

    Jul 2009 - Feb 2010

  • Operational Planner, Headquarters 1st (UK) Armoured Division

    Oct 2007 - Sept 2009

  • Company Commander, 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment

    Jul 2005 - Oct 2007
• 

  Greysteel Consulting

  Sept 2016 - Nov 2023

  Director

  Accelerating change in the Qatar Armed Forces through expert guidance on training, leadership, operations and organisational enhancements. Providing solutions to grow institutional resilience and capability.

• 

  Assaye Risk

  Dec 2016 - Aug 2017

  Senior Manager - Risk, Security and Information
• 

  Acacia Mining plc

  Dec 2016 - Aug 2017

  Security, Information and Investigations Manager

  Informed better strategic and operational decision making in a complex political and operational environment. Responsible for managing a team of 15 specialists to enhance understanding non-technical risk within a FTSE 250 listed company, protecting outputs, securing infrastructure and continuity of production.

• 

  Overwatch Group

  Dec 2023 - now

  Director Global Defence

  Led the growth of the Overwatch business in the Middle East by developing strong relationships with government clients and industry peers. Provision of expert military advice to inform product development and capture key capability requirements. Senior leadership team member responsible for regional strategy, risk management, and the design and delivery of training to specialist military units.