Charles Woodburn

Charles Woodburn
Born
Charles Nicholas Woodburn

(1971-03-11) March 11, 1971 (age 53)
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge
Erasmus University Rotterdam
OccupationBusinessman
TitleCEO, BAE Systems
TermJuly 2017-
PredecessorIan King

Charles Nicholas Woodburn CBE (born 11 March 1971) is a British businessman who has been the CEO of BAE Systems since July 2017.[2]

Education

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Woodburn was born on 11 March 1971[3] and went to Dr Challoner's Grammar School in Amersham, England.[4] Woodburn received a bachelor's degree in electrical sciences from St John's College, Cambridge in 1992[5] and a PhD in engineering from Cambridge University, followed by an MBA from Erasmus University Rotterdam.[2]

Career

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Woodburn served as the chief executive of Expro Group, which surveys and manages oil and gas wells around the world. He had also spent 15 years at Schlumberger, an oil services company, overseeing major projects in Thailand, Australia, and the US.[5]

In 2016, Woodburn joined BAE Systems as its chief operating officer.[4] On joining BAE Systems he was to be paid an annual base salary of £750,000. Additionally he was given more than £1.6m to compensate for incentive schemes at his previous company Expro.[5] It was reported in December 2016 that he was paid a total joining package worth £3 million.[6] In 2021 Woodburn received a salary rise of 13% to bring his annual pay to £1.1 million.[7] He was also in line for an extra £2 million long-term share award payable if he stayed at BAE until the end of 2023.[7]

Woodburn was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to international trade and skills development.[8][9]

Personal life

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Woodburn is married with two children and lives in Surrey.[4] Woodburn is a keen cyclist, skier and car enthusiast.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Executive Profile: Charles Woodburn". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  3. ^ Collingridge, John (21 March 2021). "Interview: Charles Woodburn, the skipper trying to navigate BAE through stormy seas". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0956-1382. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Collingridge, John (18 December 2023). "Interview: Charles Woodburn, the skipper trying to navigate BAE through stormy seas". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Ruddick, Graham (15 February 2016). "Who is Charles Woodburn, the man set to take the helm at BAE Systems?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  6. ^ "BAE Systems boss sees pay package rise by 18% to £3.5m". Belfasttelegraph – via www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk.
  7. ^ a b "BAE Systems faces mounting criticism over CEO's pay to stay". Reuters. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  8. ^ "No. 64269". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2023. p. N11.
  9. ^ "Awards for New Year 2024" (PDF). www.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Group Chief Executive Officer". www.baesystems.com. Retrieved 23 February 2024.