MASS Consultants, a specialist UK data technology company serving the defence and security markets and a member of the Cohort Group of companies, announced on 6 January 2025 the appointment of Keith Norton as its managing director.
In his new role Norton “will accelerate the businesses’ ambitious growth strategy and drive innovation opportunities for the benefit of defence, government and businesses in the UK and globally”, MASS stated in a press release.
Norton brings over 35 years of experience in the defence industry to the company, having worked at strategic, programme, technical and operational levels to successfully deliver significant business growth across government, commercial telecommunications, IT and defence businesses. Beginning his career as an electronics and engineering student apprentice, Norton has subsequently specialised in business strategy, defence and government communications, and programme delivery.
In his previous role, as vice president and managing director of L3Harris Communications Systems, Norton oversaw 150 UK staff, drove 400% growth in annual sales and held strategic business responsibility. During his tenure he integrated two defence businesses post-acquisition, relocated the business to a bespoke new 24,400 m2 facility to foster a one-team collaborative approach, secured UK Ministry of Defence sustainment contracts and led tactical communications systems sales growth across Europe.
Commenting on his appointment, Norton said: “MASS is a business that has really led the way in data technology, services and training, and I’m excited to be joining the company at such a key moment for the defence industry.
“With advancement in technology and connectivity there is an expectation from defence customers for faster situational awareness at all levels,” he said. “Added to this is the increasing abundance of data that is available to operators, which drives the need to distil data down to information and reduce the time from detecting a threat to taking action.
“The business is already exploring the benefits of cognitive computing and artificial intelligence within the defence sector, and I will draw on my experience to drive collaboration and innovation to accelerate this and other opportunities in the market. There is an immense opportunity for growth in the communications and intelligence sector and our people will be the most integral factor in our success.”
MASS provides electronic warfare operational support, cyber and data services, IT service management, software development and training support to military operations, serving customers primarily in the defence and security markets.
