Charles Woodburn

Charles Woodburn
CBE
Born
Charles Nicholas Woodburn

(1971-03-11) March 11, 1971
Windsor, Berkshire, England[1]
EducationUniversity of Cambridge
Erasmus University Rotterdam
OccupationBusinessman
TitleCEO, BAE Systems
TermJuly 2017-
PredecessorIan King
Board member of
Children2

Charles Nicholas Woodburn CBE (born 11 March 1971) is a British businessman who has been the CEO of BAE Systems since July 2017.[5]

Education

Woodburn was born on 11 March 1971[6] and went to Dr Challoner's Grammar School in Amersham, England.[6] Woodburn earned a bachelor's degree in electrical sciences from St John's College, Cambridge in 1992[7] and a PhD in engineering from Cambridge University, followed by an MBA from Erasmus University Rotterdam.[5]

Career

Woodburn began his career in 1995, working for the oil services company Schlumberger.[7] From 2010 to 2016, he was the chief executive of Expro Group.[8] In May 2016, Woodburn joined BAE Systems as its chief operating officer.[9] Following the retirement of Ian King, Woodburn was appointed CEO of BAE in July 2017.[10]

In December 2024, Woodburn was one of six executives sanctioned by the Chinese government over arms sales to Taiwan.[11]

In March 2025, Woodburn joined the UK government's Board of Trade as a board adviser.[2]

Honours and recognition

Woodburn was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for support of the Ukrainian military and his involvement with international partnerships including AUKUS and the Global Combat Air Programme.[12][13][14] He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2020.[15]

Personal life

Woodburn is married with two children and lives in Surrey.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 Corbett, Helen (13 March 2025). "Apprentice star and BT boss join Board of Trade". The Independent. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "ASD Board Members". asd-europe.org. Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  4. ↑ "UK Defence and Economic Growth Taskforce". cbi.org. Confederation of British Industry. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Executive Profile: Charles Woodburn". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  6. 1 2 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.
  7. 1 2 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.
  8. ↑ Wall, Robert (13 February 2016). "BAE Systems Poised to Name Charles Woodburn Chief Operating Officer". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  9. ↑ Tovey, Alan (9 May 2016). "BAE's boss in waiting Charles Woodburn starts work at the defence giant". The Telegraph (UK). Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  10. ↑ Ross, Alice (22 February 2017). "BAE confirms Woodburn as new chief executive". The Financial Times. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  11. ↑ Zhang, Yunbi (6 December 2024). "Sanctions announced on US military firms, execs". China Daily. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  12. ↑ Gee, Daniel (29 December 2023). "Farnham man awarded CBE for leading role arming Ukrainian armed forces". Farnham Herald. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  13. ↑ "No. 64269". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2023. p. N11.
  14. ↑ "Awards for New Year 2024" (PDF). www.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  15. ↑ "Dr Charles Woodburn FREng". Royal Academy of Engineering. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
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