David King, appointed Indra Group’s director of United Kingdom and Ireland to drive its strategic expansion in the local markets

David King has been appointed Indra Group’s new UK and Ireland director to reinforce and develop its local operations in the two high strategic value markets.

Within the framework of the company’s "Leading the Future" Strategic Plan, the United Kingdom and Ireland have been identified as priority markets for enhancing its local structure and expanding operations. The business in the United Kingdom and Ireland currently accounts for 110 million euros in sales for the group, with growth chiefly based on exports of projects in areas such as air traffic management (ATM), mobility and defence.

Mr King will bring 38 years of far-reaching experience in the defence and aerospace sector, having worked in top-tier organizations such as the Royal Air Force, Metrics, Airbus, Raytheon UK and Thales. His track record has placed a particular focus on the development of international markets, particularly in the Middle East. Over the past twelve years he has worked at senior management level in communications systems, aerospace, strategic and tactical ISR, UAVs, weapons systems and training course development, demonstrating his ability to secure and deliver complex defence solutions on the international stage.

His main task will be to develop the capabilities of all of the key divisions and business areas of Indra Group in UK&IR. This strategy seeks a shift from the current model of exporting projects to a comprehensive local presence enabling it to compete with differential advantages in the local market.

Mr King will play an integral role that focuses on three basic pillars: developing a local identity by creating its own offices, a governance model with a local executive committee and an independent legal structure, strengthening institutional and commercial relationships (reinforced by his recent appointment to the board of the UK Chamber of Commerce), and defining the 2025-2028 Strategic Plan for the United Kingdom and Ireland, which envisages the development of inorganic growth operations and the achievement of long-term financial goals.

With over two decades of experience in the United Kingdom, Indra Group has consolidated its position with over 200 professionals and several offices. In recent years, the company has bolstered its presence in the region by heading cutting-edge technological projects for major clients such as NATS, the UK’s air navigation provider, National Highways, the body that manages England’s motorways and main roads, the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force, along with, in Ireland, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), the Irish National Roads Authority, and Iarnród Éireann-Irish Rail, the operator of the Irish railway system. Through Minsait, it has also been a technology supplier for leading companies in the financial sector and telecommunications operators.

Thanks to the success of these global flagship projects, Indra Group has positioned itself as a leading technology company in critical sectors in the region. This, together with the significant investments planned in Ireland and the United Kingdom, their proximity to Spain and the advanced skills of their professionals, has encouraged Indra Group to step up its commitment to the two countries, not only to undertake local projects, but also to provide a base for the development of its activity in other English-speaking countries such as the United States, Canada and Australia, which are key to the company’s long-term strategy.

In 2024, with this goal in mind, and to cement its operations in the United Kingdom, Indra Group acquired Park Air, a benchmark British company in aerospace and defence communications worldwide. In the same year, to increase its standing as a global flagship in air traffic management systems, the company also purchased Micro Nav, the leading air traffic and air defence simulator firm, and Global ATS, the air traffic control training services company which is a prominent player in the UK market.