Bernard Gray was appointed Chief of Defence Materiel at the Ministry of Defence in January 2011. He is the author of the "Report on Acquisition", prepared for the then Secretary of State for Defence John Hutton in 2009, a work that has been widely regarded as a seminal analysis of the issues in defence acquisition both within the UK and internationally.
He has a 20-year association with defence, which has included spells as a Special Adviser to George Robertson, Secretary of State for Defence from 1997-1999, and as defence correspondent of the Financial Times from 1994-1997.
Educated as a chemist, Bernard began his early career with the Atomic Energy Authority in the field of fast breeder reactor technology, at Dounreay. Thereafter he spent five years in investment banking, working in London and New York and for the past decade Bernard has also spent much of the time in the private sector.
As Chief Executive of CMP Information, the UK publishing division of United Business Media, and as Chief Executive and latterly Chairman of TSL Education, a private-equity backed publishing house, his role involved substantial corporate turnarounds of troubled organisations to create highly successful enterprises. He has also acted as a non-executive director of Five, the UK broadcaster, and of Cable & Wireless, where he was also chairman of the remuneration committee.
Bernard lives near Newbury, has a keen interest in motor racing, and is married with one daughter.