Rakesh Sharma

Rakesh joined the Council in April 2023. he is an alumnus of Nottingham University having read Physics and, upon graduating, joined Marconi as a radio engineer where he successfully obtained a patent for his work on naval radios in a high interfering spectrum. He subsequently joined Ultra Electronics in 1989 as a Chief Engineer. Having completed an EMBA, at The University of Bath, he moved within Ultra into strategy and M&A finishing a two year assignment in the USA in 1999. He became Chief Executive of Ultra in 2011, a position which heheld until November 2017. 

Rakesh was elected as a fellow of The Royal Academy of Engineering in 2016 where he is Chair of the Industrial Fellowship committee and sits on the D&I committee. In the listed arena he is currently; Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee at Paypoint Group plc, Chair of Kromek Group plc and an Independent Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee at MoneySuperMarket Group plc. In the private company world he is; Chair of Inkwell Data Ltd, an IoT tech disrupter, Chair of Artemis Solutions Ltd, anexecutive search and development firm, and Chair of Horizon Technologies Ltd, an aerospace company. He ispassionate about education, being a Trustee on a Multi-Academy Trust and the Chair of Governors for a SpecialEducational Needs school. 

Rakesh was honoured in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours List with an OBE. He received the Freedom of the City of London, by redemption, in July 2018 and was made a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers and Coach Harness makers in the same month.