Richard Atkinson

Rich Atkinson is Head of the Land and Maritime Section within NATO Headquarters' Defence Industry, Innovation and Armaments Division (D2IA), where he leads multinational efforts to enhance interoperability, accelerate capability delivery and advance NATO's land and maritime armaments programmes. Working closely with Allied nations, industry and international partners, he helps drive the development and adoption of critical defence capabilities across the Alliance. A retired Royal Navy flag officer, Rich brings extensive military leadership and operational experience, underpinned by a distinguished career spanning strategic policy, capability development, defence finance and programme management. Most notably, he served as Commanding Officer of a Type 45 destroyer, providing him with first-hand operational insight into the challenges and requirements of modern naval warfare. Throughout his career, Rich has held senior appointments across the UK Ministry of Defence, Cabinet Office and NATO. He played an influential role in shaping the Royal Navy's contribution to successive UK Spending Reviews, helping secure significant increases in defence investment. As Head of Strategic Finance, he oversaw the Royal Navy's £8 billion annual budget and supported funding for major capability programmes, including advanced weapons systems. At NATO, he has led the work of the NATO Naval Armaments Group, coordinating more than 1,500 national experts across 50 specialist teams while overseeing 72 NATO standards and strengthening cooperation with key international defence organisations. Rich is a graduate of Manchester Business School and a Defence-accredited Programme and Project Management Practitioner.