Lieutenant Colonel Robin Hicks

Robotic and Autonomous Systems Portfolio Lead British Army

Lt Col Robbie Hicks is the lead desk officer for Research and Experimentation in the Futures Directorate of the UK Army Headquarters with specific focus on robotics, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence. Lt Col Hicks split his time at regimental duty across Armoured Infantry and Light Role Infantry Battalions. He spent much of his early career on operations spanning the Protect, Engage, Constrain and Warfighting continuum deploying to Kosovo, Iraq, Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and most recently Ukraine. As a field officer, Lt Col Hicks has focussed on Capability and Acquisition. He has 5 years’ experience at DE&S covering roles on the Sentinel Project, Warrior AFV, and as a Military Assistant to the 3* Chief or Materiel (Land). In his 6 years at Army HQ, he has worked in Army Reform, led the investment of the Secretary of States’ £250M Transformation Fund, managed the Army’s £1.3Bn Infrastructure Plan, and currently leads the Human Machine Teaming Project and the Robotic and Autonomous Systems Programme. Lt Col Hicks has a BSc in Physics, a MSc in Battlespace Technology and an MBA. He is a Chartered Engineer and is in the foothills of learning to code. He is a keen runner and enjoys coaching his son’s U12 Rugby team.