Tara Gullett appointed as Managing Director

VT Flagship has appointed Tara Gullett as their first Managing Director following the company’s recent acquisition by VT Group. In her new role Tara will lead the VT Flagship workforce, which has now expanded to 1,700 employees delivering a wide range of training solutions and integrated support services for the Royal Navy and other defence and commercial customers.

Tara’s career has spanned senior roles in the Shipbuilding, Construction and Tele-communications industries. Before joining VT Flagship, she was Operations Director at VT Shipbuilding, now part of BVT Surface Fleet, VT Group’s joint venture with BAE Systems.

In this role she was responsible for the overall infrastructure and manufacturing at the Portsmouth ship-building facility. Immediately prior to this, Tara was VT Shipbuilding’s Head of Steelwork where she led the team responsible for the steel fabrication and construction of the bow sections and masts for the Royal Navy’s Type 45 Destroyers and Offshore Patrol Vessel, HMS Clyde.

Says Tara; “I am delighted to be continuing my association with the Royal Navy in my new role at VT Flagship where I plan to build upon the strong relationship that exists between our two organisations. VT Group has a strong ethos of partnering with customers and suppliers, and I am looking forward to applying this ethos in my new role now that we’ve joined VT Group.

“It is an exciting time to join VT Flagship. Over the past year the company has been making great progress with a business transformation programme, designed to further improve business performance and customer perception.

“I share a keen interest in continuous improvement and am looking forward to applying the knowledge that I gained from my career in the manufacturing environment to this new role to help drive the programme on.”

Tara is a member of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects and the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology. She is also a qualified business coach, accredited with Henley Management College.

In her new role, Tara takes over from previous Managing Director, Ron Sams, who has now become the Chief Operating Officer of the wider VT Education and Skills division, which VT Flagship has joined.

Ron will continue his association with the VT Flagship, working closely with Tara and her team to build upon the strong relationship the company has forged with the Royal Navy.