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significant contract valued at £ 40 million for the MOD ’ s Mid Life Improvement ( MLI ) of the UK Armed Forces ’ in-service heavy machine guns . “ We ’ re very excited to embark on this project , which will see the entire fleet of machine guns coming through our UK factory ,” Michelle elaborates . “ The MLI program will see us return to the customer a fully refurbished weapon including new parts .
“ The heavy machine gun design is more than 100 years old , but by refurbishing it we can guarantee each weapon to 60,000 rounds , extending the product ’ s life and making it a cost-effective decision for the MOD . We ’ re currently in trial phase and the plan is to complete a three-year refurbishment program under the five-year contract .”
Michelle ’ s diverse path to becoming FN UK ’ s CEO started with a degree in mechanical engineering . “ I ’ ve been in the defense industry my whole career ; I was lucky enough to be selected by the MOD to do a one-year placement , and I went on to be sponsored by them to work in the field of munitions and ordnance ,” she explains . “ After 15 years in the MOD across various roles and departments , I ended my role there by working on the mechanized infantry vehicle , which is a major project for the UK Government and thus more political .
“ I then became Managing Director of Level Peaks , a defense distributor in the UK representing predominantly American brands . After three years there , I was approached
by FN for my current role , which I began in August 2023 . It ’ s been an interesting journey and with the help of other CEOs in the group and the whole UK team , I ’ m learning a lot about the manufacturing side .”
Despite working in a male-dominated field , Michelle doesn ’ t view her gender as a barrier . “ I ’ ve never had a problem standing up for myself and I ’ m more than happy to give anyone my views – that ’ s probably how I got to where I am today ,” she laughs .
Turning to the future , Michelle shares her goals for FN UK . “ We ’ ve just become silver signatories to the Armed Forces Covenant to highlight the ways in which we support Armed Forces through the recruitment of ex-military personnel , as well as reservists ,” she reveals .
“ As the sole manufacturers of military assault rifles and machine guns in the UK , we ’ re striving to be recognized as an onshore strategic capability within the UK MOD following the recognition of ammunition as a key capability ,” Michelle concludes . “ I ’ d also like us to be the supplier for the Army ’ s next generation rifle . With the existing capabilities to manufacture this rifle in the UK , this means UK soldiers could be using UK manufactured products , which is a great sentiment not only for the business , but for the entire country .” ■
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