Simon Kings has been appointed managing director of the Corac Group subsidiary Atmosphere Control International (ACI). He will take over from Steve Cassidy, who retired on 31 July 2014 after approximately 25 years of working for the company.
ACI is a market leader in the design, manufacture and support of air purification equipment technology, specifically in the defence sector for naval ships and submarines. Steve has worked for ACI since 1989, leading numerous system developments as a project manager and later as managing director. His work is now the standard fit for several submarine fleets, and has even helped ACI win the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement.
Simon previously worked for Raytheon UK, where he was business development director, specialising in C4Istar, special mission aircraft, force protection and weapon systems. Simon is a former Naval Commodore, with 30 years of service, including commands of HMS Edinburgh (a Type 42 destroyer) and HMS Ocean (a helicopter carrier and assault ship, the RN’s largest warship). As a naval aviator he had five years’ front line service in Lynx Helicopters.
Simon’s other military experience includes several MoD roles, such as head of maritime capability, and the senior responsible owner of the UK’s shipbuilding programme, ship sensors and weapons. This included the two new aircraft carriers T45 Destroyer and T26 Frigate programmes, and responsibility for £2bn of defence spending per annum.
ACI Group chief executive Phil Cartmell said: "I would like to thank Steve for all that he has done to build a leading defence supply business which, since its acquisition in 2012, has become a key part of Corac Group’s growth strategy.
"This is an exciting time for ACI and I am delighted to welcome Simon to the team. He brings a wealth of front line service experience plus deep understanding of the commercial defence supply sector. His ambition matches ours, and I look forward to working with him to drive growth both at home and in our chosen export markets, contributing to a very successful period for ACI and for Corac Group as a whole."