Advisory Committee
Susan E. Walton, Chair
Susan E. Walton has over 25 years’ experience leading global institutional investment-research franchises at top-tier investment banks in London, New York and Hong Kong. An investor and entrepreneur, she has founded technology and digital-media start-ups focused on international affairs. She serves as a board member and senior adviser to think tanks, universities and commercial enterprises, with a network spanning political, business, defence, national-security and financial-services circles. She received the Czech Government’s Jan Masaryk Silver Medal of Honour for contributions to relations between the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Dr Matthias Danne, Vice Chair
Dr. Matthias Danne is Founder and Managing Director of the recently founded Refence GmbH, Munich and a Senior Advisor at Sentris Capital, a PAN-EUROPEAN FUND MANAGER for European Sovereignty and Security.
Refence advises public institutions, international organisations, companies and investors on the development, structuring and implementation of viable financing solutions for investments in defence infrastructure (PPP). Sentris Capital is a VC-Investor with a track record of 20 investments since 2018, headquartered in Tallinn.
Since 9/26 he has chaired the Supervisory Boards of Branicks AG, Frankfurt and VIB AG, Neuburg, two listed real estate investment companies in Germany. From 6/2020 to 6/2026 he served as Deputy CEO of DekaBank, most recently responsible for the entire asset management business and the treasury of the group – following a total of 20 years with changing responsibilities on Dekas Management Board. Previously, he held CFO, Chief Credit Officer and CEO positions on the management boards of four other listed Banks/Financial Holdings in Germany. He also served as an adviser to financial institutions at McKinsey & Company.
Maria Tymofienko
Maria Tymofienko is the founder of UK Squared, a strategic consultancy dedicated to advancing defence, security and advanced technology partnerships between the UK and Ukraine. Maria is an international lawyer and Head of the Ukrainian International Law Response team at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL). Maria works closely with civil society and parliamentary groups organising numerous delegations of Ukrainian officials and opinion leaders to the UK as well as visits by UK MPs to Ukraine to help build and strengthen UK-Ukraine relations. Following the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Maria set up Conservative Friends of Ukraine (CFU) and has been its CEO since its launch in September 2022 as a platform for deepening cooperation and support for Ukraine, both with the UK and its allies, and to strengthen Ukraine’s defence capabilities.
Michael Miller
Michael Miller is a C-level entrepreneurial executive, strategic innovator and thought leader who is internationally recognized for driving growth and achieving exceptional results in the development of emerging technologies for the aerospace, defence and national security markets. Over his extensive career, he has driven corporate success through securing significant undiluted capital and leading high-performing teams to develop innovative, state-of-the-art technologies at speed and scale. As a former Senior Adviser to the U.S. Secretary of Defense, along with his proven leadership as a corporate executive, he provides tech companies and investment firms with strategies to successfully overcome the challenging, competitive and bureaucratic government processes, to quickly secure funding and ensure successful transition of technologies into sustainable revenue streams. Michael has held various executive leadership and strategic advisory positions, most recently as a Division Director at Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation (VT-ARC), but formerly at U.S. Strategic Command, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Joint Forces Command and as a combat aviator in the U.S. Air Force. He is the founder and CEO of the defence and national security consulting firm, Miller C. & Co., where he spends his time supporting tech companies, investment firms and advisory firms in the national security and defence markets.
Morgan Ely, echomis
Morgan Ely MSc MSyl is an entrepreneur, strategic advisor and Founder of echomis Ltd, with 16 years’ experience across defence, national security and emerging technology, including significant support to Special Operations. Her career spans operational delivery, intelligence, policy and capability development across UK Government, including roles within the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Ministry of Defence and Home Office, alongside Business Operations and Technology Enablement at Deloitte and advisory work with start-ups and emerging technology companies. Morgan has worked extensively across the Middle East, Asia and North Africa. Most recently, she worked in Ukraine supporting the defence-technology ecosystem, working with local engineering teams and international partners to bridge operational need, technical delivery and international engagement. Morgan holds an MSc in Intelligence and Security and is a Member of The Security Institute. She is a Freeman and Charity Trustee of the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals and was admitted to the Freedom of the City of London in 2026.She serves as a UN Women UK Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) and is a committed supporter of veterans’ and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) charities, as well as STEM outreach and mentoring.
