Kata Escott CB Managing Director and Country Head, Airbus Defence & Space UK
Kata joined Airbus in December 2023. She is a former civil servant and has worked across a range of national security priorities over the course of her career.She joined the Ministry of Defence as a new graduate and has held roles there across the business including in policy, operations and planning. In 2021, she led a major reset of UK defence strategy including a decisive shift towards a more modern, tech-enabled military that secured an additional £16.5bn for the defence budget.
Kata has also held senior roles at the centre of government. She led the UK response to the 2013 Snowden intelligence crisis, supported the National Security Council with strategy advice through the Integrated Review, AUKUS and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and was the Chief of Staff to the Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service through Brexit.
Most recently she was part of the team that established the Department for Science, Innovation and Tech.
She lives in South East London with her husband and children aged 14-7.