Better Known

Steve Prest


Listen Later

Steve Prest discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Steve Prest was a Weapon Engineer Officer who joined the Royal Navy after reading Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Loughborough University. He served in the Defence Communications Services Agency in Corsham in support of Op TELIC 1 (Iraq); undertook a short tour in Afghanistan as a Liaison Officer to Task Force Helmand; and has served on exchange with the French Navy. In the UK he has worked in Defence Equipment and Support, MOD, the Permanent Joint Headquarters and the Maritime Capability Division of Navy Command Headquarters.

At sea he was the Weapon Engineer Officer in HMS WESTMINSTER undertaking operations in the Mediterranean (Libya), Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean; and then the Commander Weapon Engineer in HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, bringing the ship out of build and home to Portsmouth.

Joining the nascent Navy Acquisition organisation in 2017, he was previously the Programme Director of the Type 31 Frigate Programme. He then became Deputy Director Navy Acquisition (Equipment and Systems), and Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the Maritime Electronic Warfare and Mine Hunting Capability Programmes. He fulfilled the role of Director Navy Acquisition from September 2022 until May 2023 and finished his career as Deputy Director People Change Programmes in Navy Command HQ.

Still working out what he wants to do when he grows up, Steve is now an independent consultant, advisor, commentator and speaker in the Defence sector and beyond. He has set up his own company, Alatar Ltd, and his self-appointed mission is “to help brilliant people to do amazing things”.

He is married to Kerry and they live on the Hampshire coast with their daughter, Emily. He enjoys reading and is a keen fan of most sports, participating when time and body allow.

  1. The Royal Navy and what it does.
  2. That life is stochastic not based on fate, otherwise risk management wouldn't work!
  3. The Scouring of the Shire - from Lord of the Rings. It was a crucial part of the narrative arc in the books but missed out from the otherwise brilliant films.
  4. Captain Cook. Everyone knows that he "discovered" Australia (he didn't really, but...) but his qualities as a leader and maritime professional should be better known.
  5. That inclusive leadership isn't "woke nonsense" but is, at its heart, just good leadership.
  6. Bluestone 42 - a BBC comedy drama about a British bomb disposal detachment details the camaraderie and bonds shared between the soldiers in the unit as they risk their lives defusing bombs.
  7. This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Better KnownBy Ivan Wise

    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8

    4.8

    9 ratings


    More shows like Better Known

    View all
    In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

    In Our Time

    5,402 Listeners

    Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

    Great Lives

    506 Listeners

    Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

    Desert Island Discs

    1,977 Listeners

    Private Passions by BBC Radio 3

    Private Passions

    44 Listeners

    Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast by Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

    Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

    299 Listeners

    Backlisted by Backlisted

    Backlisted

    573 Listeners

    The Briefing Room by BBC Radio 4

    The Briefing Room

    76 Listeners

    The Book Club by The Spectator

    The Book Club

    86 Listeners

    Slightly Foxed by Slightly Foxed: The Real Reader's Quarterly

    Slightly Foxed

    255 Listeners

    The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

    The Rest Is History

    12,463 Listeners

    The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

    The Rest Is Politics

    3,096 Listeners

    The News Agents by Global

    The News Agents

    979 Listeners

    The Rest Is Politics: Leading by Goalhanger

    The Rest Is Politics: Leading

    975 Listeners

    These Times by UnHerd

    These Times

    110 Listeners

    The World of Wodehouse by Alexander Armstrong

    The World of Wodehouse

    3 Listeners