Nick Carter

General Sir Nick Carter is a Kenyan-born British Army officer who has over 45 years' military experience culminating at the top of his profession as the Chief of the Defence Staff where he was the principal military advisor to the Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Defence and the National Security Council, and the Head of the Armed Forces. He also served as the Chief of the General Staff, professional Head of the British Army.

An infantryman by background, General Nick has had the honour of commanding on operations at every level of command and in a variety of different contexts, including during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, peacekeeping with the UN in Cyprus, peace enforcement with NATO in Bosnia and Kosovo, and commanding the UK-led Brigade in Iraq in 2003- 04. He has multiple years' experience of operating in Afghanistan, designing approaches to countering insurgency and acting as an arbitrator between key international stakeholders.

A moderniser, General Nick is a leader who shapes events rather than be shaped by them, using data, strategic acumen and operational insight to create and sell a compelling vision of the future, aligning teams behind a creative concept for why and how the institution must transform at pace. His hallmarks are the military element of the 2020 Integrated Review, the fundamental restructuring of the British Army following the national Defence Reviews of 2010 and 2015, and the design of the Armed Forces' support to the national COVID-19 response.

He initiated and drove significant cultural change, instituting a strategic culture, a programme of empowerment and maximising talent. A strong advocate for equality of opportunity, enabling everyone to maximise their talent, he was recognised by Business in the Community naming him Gender Champion in 2017 after making and winning the case for legislation to be changed to open up all roles in the military to all people based on ability and potential rather than outdated notions of gender.