Sollerta Main Board
The Sollerta Board comprises four Directors
| Chairman, Director for Logistics Studies | John Fannon |
| Director for Technology, Business Support and Quality Assurance | John Dering |
| Director for Tendering and Procurement Services | Digby Barker |
| Director for Technology, Diversification and Integration | James Brennan |
Sollerta projects will always be led by one of the directors who may call on the services of associate consultants who have specialist skills.
More information about the Directors is given below.
For CVs of associate consultants, please navigate to the associate consultants page
Dr John Fannon
John is one of the founder members of Sollerta becoming Chairman in 2000.
John combines his extensive experience of MOD Research & Development and Project Management with an innovative and pragmatic approach to the wide range of issues he is called upon to address in his work as a Business Consultant.
Equally at home with strategy development and analytical modelling, he is familiar with the particular challenges associated with International collaborative projects, particularly those involving the US and Europe.
Clients also benefit from the insights which his involvement with a broad spectrum of Defence Industry enables him to provide.
As Chairman of Sollerta Ltd he has successfully led the Company in the development of its Logistics/Supply Chain Management business and the application of its knowledge and skills for the benefit of clients in the non-Defence sector. He successfully led a multinational cooperative programme for the European Commission on Logistics Training. This included a short study of the ISO 28000 (then in draft as a publically available specification), which deals with the security of the supply chain and the need for risk assessment and risk mitigation. He proposed the use of the ALARP principle to the risk assessment of logistic supply chains. He presented the results to Logistics workshops in Brussels and and later to the European Logistics Association in Berlin.
Most recently, in the context of SecureCHAINS he has initiated a 'Security Technology Watch' including a growing bibliography of relevant papers.
Working with the Sollerta Quality Manager he successfully guided Sollerta to achieve ISO 9001:2000 accreditation, and more recently accreditation to ISO 9001:2008.
With his interest in marine business he has played a leading role, representing Sollerta, in building-up the Dorset Marine Network which fosters and supports the development of marine enterprises in Dorset. John was elected a Director of this not-for-profit organisation
He speaks at, and has been engaged to Chair commercially-organised international conferences. Topics include cost modelling and through life support of ships (including reliability centred maintenance) and has presented papers at International conferences.
John is engaged to role-play in training courses both in the UK and in France and qualified to participate in Gateway Reviews as Team member. He has taken part in two Key Stage Peer Reviews (the equivalent of Gateway Reviews) for the MOD.
For more information about John, click here
Dr John Dering
John is one of the founder members of Sollerta, becoming company Secretary in 2000.
A consultant since April 2000, John has maintained his interest in project management and technology, working numerous tasks with the common thread that they all require the analysis of complex issues or problems.
Until leaving DERA in April 2000, he was the Head of Department and Site Director in MOD's Haslar Marine Technology Establishment where he became a highly experienced senior manager of both project implementation programmes and technical research, particularly when there are pull through / technology transfer issues.
Coupled with his extensive general and commercial management experience, bridging both Government and Commercial sectors and covering partnering arrangements, mergers and acquisitions, he brings a unique blend of knowledge and skills to his Consultancy work.
In recent years he has built on his project management, international project and research experience to develop a reputation in the Technology Access (Search, Location & Transfer) and Innovation Management fields.
He guided the company to achieve ISO 9001:2000 accreditation in 2007 and in 2010 achieved the upgrade to ISO 9001:2008
With James Brennan he ran the Sollerta contribution to the Secure SME programme - a European collaborative programme led by Inovamais of Portugal. This project was successful and the European Commission has agreed a follow on project called SecureCHAINS. John played a major part, working with the Portuguese Project Manager to obtain the Commission's endorsement of the project
John has assisted formally in the tender assessment activities of the RAO (MOD) and technology projects for the EU. He has a particularly strong background in the maritime environment; has been an active contributor to a number of European projects concerned with the marine environment; has published numerous scientific papers; acted as an external examiner for PhD students; and organised national and international conferences. In recent years he was Assistant Editor and Production Manager of MOD's Journal of Defence Science. Recently John received OGC Gateway / KSPR accreditation.
For more information about John, click here
Dr Digby Barker
Digby Barker is one of the founder members of Sollerta.
Drawing on his Private Sector and Government Service experience, including MOD Procurement and HM Treasury posts, Digby has an established track record in advising on Public Sector issues, particularly those related to Procurement and Project and/or Contract Management.
Clients include both public bodies and companies wishing to do business with them. His advice is provided through CIPS-recognised training sessions, coaching and hands-on assistance with specific cases. Typical topics include: developing and implementing Business Cases, Procurement Strategies, Invitations to Tender and Tender Evaluation schemes; and, for private sector clients: positioning; assessing opportunities, Expression of Interest and Tender preparation, and Contract negotiation.
In a rapidly-growing area of business, he assists companies wishing to obtain satisfactory debriefs on their PQQ responses and Tenders and/or to consider grounds for possible legal challenges to non-selection and proposed contract awards.
An accredited OGC Gateway Reviewer on the MoD and ERF panels, Digby has been engaged by the MoD to undertake Project Assurance Reviews and to advise on aspects of the management of its Research & Technology Programme, on Technology Insertion Guidance and on the Defence Acquisition Change Programme. He has also worked with Local Authorities and referees papers for the Operational Research Society. Digby writes, lectures and chairs events on a range of subjects including MoD's annual Defence Suppliers' Conference, the EU/UK Procurement Regulations, Contract Management, the Freedom of Information Act, Risk Analysis, and Sustainability.
For more information about Digby, click here
Mr James Brennan
James Brennan is a skilled and perceptive business analyst with wide-ranging engineering, manufacturing and commercial experience gained in various industries.
He spent 25 years with major defence contractors taking R&D to the market. Later, as Managing Director of a Small to Medium Enterprise (SME), he developed and grew the business before moving to deliver step change improvements to several other SMEs, increasing their turnover and profitability.
He moved into the DTI Business Links as Defence & Advanced Technology Adviser for South East England, advising and supporting businesses in diversification, knowledge, technology and science transfer.
He then became the Director of the MoD's Diversification Agency for the South of England. He specialises in production engineering, using knowledge and new technologies to achieve change and economic growth.
He led the Sollerta contribution to the SecureSME project, carrying out some 70 technology and readiness audits on UK SMEs
James is currently leading Sollerta's contribution to the EC funded SecureCHAINS project as part of a 12 company international consortium.
For more information about James, click here