On Tuesday 2 June 2026, the Defence Academy hosted its Livery company partners, the Worshipful Company of Educators (WCoE) and the Worshipful Company of Entrepreneurs (WCoEnt).
The visit celebrated the achievements of Academy staff, with awards presented to teams for Best Entrepreneur and Best Educator.
The Best Entrepreneur Award was presented to Team Vulcanus, from the Advanced Command and Staff Course, comprising:
- Lieutenant Colonel Ben McNeil
- Lt Col Mark O'Sullivan
- Wing Commander Gareth Winn-Morgan
- Major Jin Namjun
The team was recognised for its entrepreneurial work at the Academy, applying Silicon Valley thinking to defence challenges to develop a scalable solution to tackle obsolescence.
Both educator awards were received by staff from the Defence College for Military Capability Integration.
The Best Educator Award went to the Technology Integration Team from the Defence Capability Management School (DCMS), led by:
- Lt Col Jonathan Stott, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
- Lt Col Scott Campbell, Australian Intelligence Corps
The DCMS Technology Integration Team is responsible for delivering three flagship courses within the Academy, all linked to SDR capability and warfighting outcomes.
Maj Wilf Ferrier-Russ AGC(ETS), from the Joint Information Activities Group, received a Highly Commended Educator award for his exceptional contribution to defence education.
Livery Company representatives and Learning, Capabilities and Development (LCaD) staff continued collaborative work on an artificial intelligence think piece, reflecting the Academy’s commitment to innovation in defence education.
This work will lead to collaborative papers that bring together the entrepreneurial expertise of the WCoEnt and the academic oversight of the WCoE, under the direction of the LCaD team.
The day also included a Q&A session for students, the DCMS team and LCaD personnel, giving them the opportunity to engage directly with senior representatives from both Livery Companies.
The visit highlighted the value the Defence Academy places on its relationships with civilian institutions. By working with the WCoE and WCoEnt, the Academy continues to develop the professional knowledge and skills of its people by drawing on expertise from across the education and business communities.