Vanguard Magazine

G A M E C H A N G E R See the full interview online Q How did you start out in this industry and how has it brought you to where you are today? My path into the defence industry has been a full-circle journey. I began with 26 years of service in the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, where I maintained avionics systems on Sea King and EH101 (Mer- lin) helicopters. I transitioned into proj- ect management, starting in the nuclear sector with Centronic Limited, where I contributed to the Astute-class submarine program. in 2012, I relocated to Canada. and was fortunate to join Nautel Limited as a Project Manager. I've been with Nau- tel ever since. Q What is your role at your organization today? I currently serve as Head of the Sonar Division and Project Management at Nautel. In this dual role, I oversee proj- ect management across our core busi- ness areas—broadcast, navigation, and sonar—ensuring delivery excellence across the portfolio. More importantly, I lead our sonar division's growth strategy, driving the development and market ex- pansion of our sonar product line. Q What was your most challenging moment? Nautel had always been an engineer-led company, so introducing formal project management practices—work break- down structures, schedules, and asking engineers to estimate timelines—was a cultural shift. The key was commu- nication. Once I combined clear plan- ning with a bit of humour and the team saw those plans working, collaboration flourished. Other challenges included our entry into the defense sector, where timelines are long and initial setbacks can feel discouraging. When early design issues arose, perseverance and teamwork carried us through. Q What was your A-HA moment or epiphany that you think will resonate most with our reader, tell us that story. When I first left the Royal Navy and got my first PM job, I thought "right, er, what do I do now? I'm going to get found out. All these people know so much more about the commercial world than me!". But after about a week or so, I realized, other than a bit of domain knowledge, rather than my fellow work- ers having the edge on me, I had the edge on them. Armed services veterans I feel have a slightly different frame of ref- erence to non-veterans and see problems that occur for what they are, something for which we must find a solution. Q How has innovation become engrained in your organization's culture and how is it being optimized? Innovation has always been at the heart of Nautel's DNA—a principle instilled by our founder, Dennis Colville, over 55 years ago when he designed the first solid- state navigation beacon, despite indus- try skepticism. Our approach starts with understanding what the customer truly needs, challenging initial requirements, and leveraging expertise across all areas of the company to create innovative solu- tions. Q What are some of the biggest impediments to innovation in your industry sector? There are numerous opportunities to en- hance innovation in the defence sector. Workforce and Skills: Canada and defence industries need to encourage the gradua- tion and training of more acoustics, sig- nal processing, and underwater systems engineers. Streamlined Procurement: Faster procurement cycles and earlier engagement with industry will support rapid iteration and adoption of emerging technologies. Situation Appropriate Reg- ulatory and Compliance: In some cases, easing strict military standards (e.g., MIL- SPEC) and certification requirements will foster experimentation, quick pivots and innovation. Q What is your parting piece of advice? I believe we are in a once-in-a-generation period, where there is an opportunity to put Canadian technology and defence technology companies firmly in the spot- light. Let us all look within the country at all the amazing companies here and back them. STEVE FARLEY HEAD OF SONAR DIVISION AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT NAUTEL LIMITED www.vanguardcanada.com FEBRUARY/MARCH 2026 27

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