Richard Applegate
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This article is part of the Revolving Door project of Spinwatch. |
Lieutenant General Richard Applegate CB, OBE, is a retired British Army officer.
In his last military appointment he was the first Chief of Materiel (Land) in the Defence Equipment and Support organisation and a member of the leadership board of the British Army for 3 years, latterly as Quartermaster General. Applegate left the UK armed forces in 2010.[1]
In December 2010 he was appointed an associate member of Niteworks, a partnership between the UK Ministry of Defence, including the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, and industry.[2]
Applegate was appointed chairman of Elbit Systems UK in May 2011.[3]
Sunday Times sting operation
In 2012, Applegate was one of a number of retired senior army officers targeted in a sting operation by Sunday Times journalists posing as representatives of a Korean drone manufacturer.[4]
Applegate was reportedly involved in a campaign to secure a £500 million contract for Israeli arms firm Elbit Systems.[5] The Sunday Times reported:
- He confided that he used Westminster Connection, a discreet lobbying firm with Israeli links, as a "firebreak" to ensure "that my fingerprints weren't over any of it". It could gain access to anyone "from the Prime Minister down". He said the firm, based in Victoria and co-owned by Scott Hamilton, a former Conservative staffer, had used its links with Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) to persuade MPs in the Commons to assist him in his campaign.[5]
Affiliations
- Elbit Systems UK - chairman
- Design Blue/d30 Ltd - director
- Ferranti Technologies - director
- UAV Tactical Systems Ltd - director
- Eagle Strategic Consulting - managing director.
- Newton Europe - senior adviser
- Atkins - senior adviser
- Hewlett-Packard Defence - senior adviser
- Renaissance Strategic Advisors - senior adviser[6]
- Associate member, Niteworks, December 2010. ACOBA gave him "unconditional approval, on the basis that the appointment would not involve him in lobbying the UK Government, but would include contacts with government which are a necessary part of the role being undertaken".[2]
Notes
- ↑ Heropreneurs appoints distinguished soldier and businessman as patron, Heropreneurs, accessed 14 October 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Twelfth Report 2010-2011 Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, accessed 8 December 2014
- ↑ Lt.Gen (Ret.) Dick Applegate appointed Chairman of Elbit Systems UK, Helihub, 13 May 2011.
- ↑ Galloping Greed of the old warhorses, Insight, Sunday Times, 14 October 2012, pp.13-15.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Secret campaign 'secured £500m', Insight, Sunday Times, 14 October 2012.
- ↑ Heropreneurs appoints distinguished soldier and businessman as patron, Heropreneurs, accessed 14 October 2012.
