Kevin Leeson

Air Marshal Sir Kevin James Leeson, KCB, CBE, FREng[1] (born 11 June 1956) is a retired Royal Air Force engineer officer, whose final appointment was as Chief of Materiel – Air at the Defence Equipment and Support organisation, concurrently holding the appointments of Air Member for Materiel on the Air Force Board and Chief Engineer (RAF), at which point he was the most senior non-aircrew officer in the service.

Sir Kevin Leeson
Born	11 June 1956
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Air Force
Years of service	1974–2012
Rank	Air Marshal
Commands held	Air Member for Materiel (2009–12)
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Having been responsible for various aspects of engineering support to the Tornado aircraft and the introduction of the Eurofighter Typhoon into service, he held several senior appointments at the Ministry of Defence before taking up his final appointment in 2009. He retired from the RAF in October 2012.

Early life

Leeson was born on 11 June 1956. In 1977, he graduated from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology with a first class degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.[2]

RAF career

Leeson was commissioned as a University Cadet in September 1974,[3] being regraded to pilot officer in July 1977.[4] He was then promoted to flying officer in January 1978,[5] and flight lieutenant in October 1980.[6] Early in his career he was responsible for the first line servicing of Hercules and Tornado aircraft.[2] He was promoted to squadron leader in January 1986.[7]

He also spent time in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) planning the support of the Eurofighter Typhoon electrical and armament systems.[2] Following promotion to wing commander in January 1990[8] Leeson attended the Advanced Staff Course, then returned to the MOD to head the branch responsible for the support planning of the Typhoon's avionics, electrics and software, before commanding the Engineering Wing at RAF Marham.[2] In 1996 he moved to Headquarters Strike Command, being promoted to group captain in January 1997,[9] to manage the supply and engineering activities for the whole Tornado fleet, at that time comprising both ground attack / reconnaissance and fighter variants, spread across seven Main Operating Bases, and with detachments in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Falkland Islands.[2] After graduating from the 1999 course at the Royal College of Defence Studies, Leeson again returned to the MOD, now as Group Captain Air Resources and Plans.[2]

Leeson was appointed Head of Air Resources and Plans in 2000,[2] his promotion to air commodore following in July 2001.[10] He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2003 Birthday Honours List.[11] Following promotion to air vice marshal in September 2004,[12] Leeson was appointed Assistant Chief of Defence Staff – Logistics Operations.[2] He went on to be Assistant Chief of Defence Staff – Strategy and Plans in July 2007[13] and was promoted to air marshal and appointed Chief of Materiel – Air at Defence Equipment and Support in May 2009 joining the Air Force Board as Air Member for Materiel and Chief Engineer (RAF).[14]

Appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2012 New Year Honours,[15] Leeson retired from the RAF in October that year.[16]

Later life

On leaving the RAF, Leeson founded his own consultancy company. He also served as a member of the British Airways Board Safety Review Committee and a senior advisor to Atkins Defence, Aerospace and Security.[17] He went on to be Director of Military Affairs for Airbus UK, Senior Military Advisor to Airtanker and a Senior Advisor to Newton Europe. He was President and subsequently Vice Patron, of the Armed Forces Winter Sports Association and was Chairman of the RAF Charitable Trust,[18]the charity that stages the Royal International Air Tattoo.[2]

Personal life

Leeson became a Chartered Engineer in 1982 and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in 1997.[19] He was elected a Fellow[1] of the Royal Academy of Engineering[1] (FREng) in 2012.[20]

References

1. "List of Fellows".
2. "RAF biography – C of M Air (includes photo)". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
3. "No. 46432". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 December 1974. p. 12878.
4. "No. 47328". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 September 1977. p. 11940.
5. "No. 47437". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 January 1978. p. 608.
6. "No. 48366". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 November 1980. p. 15625.
7. "No. 50398". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 January 1986. pp. 562–563.
8. "No. 52005". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 January 1990. pp. 73–75.
9. "No. 54642". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 January 1997. pp. 217–218.
10. "No. 56261". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 July 2001. p. 7816.
11. "No. 56963". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 2003. p. 7.
12. "No. 57401". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 September 2004. p. 11243.
13. "Air Rank Appointments List 10/06 of 8 December 2006". Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
14. "Air Rank Appointments List 08/08 of 17 November 2008". Royal Air Force. Archived from the original on 18 April 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
15. "No. 60009". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2011. p. 2.
16. "Air Rank Appointments List 03/12 of 1 March 2012". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
17. Kevin Leeson, Debrett, archived from the original on 26 December 2013, retrieved 25 December 2013
18. "Trustees". Royal International Air Tattoo. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
19. "People of Today – Kevin Leeson". Debretts. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
20. "New Fellows – Kevin Leeson (includes photo)". Royal Academy of Engineering. Retrieved 2 August 2012.