North Defence has appointed Katie Mallinson as director of public affairs, as the company continues its rapid international expansion.
The non-executive director appointment comes at a pivotal moment for North Defence, which has grown from its origins as North Fire, into a defence manufacturer supplying armoured and non-armoured light mobility vehicles to Ukraine and other European defence organisations.
The company recently opened a new European Headquarters in Luxembourg, alongside its expanding manufacturing base in West Yorkshire, and has taken on a higher public profile through partnerships including Leeds United and Matchroom Boxing.
Katie built and sold Scriba PR – an agency she founded in 2013 and grew over a decade – specialising in the strategic profile-raising of technical businesses on an international scale. After selling the business in 2023, she completed a global marketing director contract for an international manufacturer of environmental equipment, and now runs Loquiti – a strategic communications consultancy providing boardroom clarity during high-stakes periods of transformation.
In this new role, Katie leads North Defence’s public affairs strategy – ensuring the company communicates clearly and consistently, from its founding vision and ethical standards to its ambassadorial role in a rapidly changing defence landscape.
Commenting on the appointment, Oliver North, founder and CEO of North Defence, said: “There’s a spotlight on the defence sector right now, like nothing we’ve seen in decades. That comes with real responsibility – to be clear about who we are, what we stand for, and the standards we hold ourselves to.
“Katie and I have known each other for years, and while our styles are different, we’ve always agreed on the value of honest, impactful communication, especially when it matters most. Having her at board level means that thinking is now embedded at the highest level of the company.”
Katie Mallinson added: “Effective communication is what drives stronger collaboration across an industry, shares knowledge, and helps push change forward. Few sectors need that more urgently right now than defence.
“Having built my own business over a decade and navigated it through real growth and change myself, I understand how communications decisions land commercially, not just reputationally. This business takes the meaning of agility to the next level – the role means I can advise decisively and amplify North Defence’s voice, when the moments count.”
As North Defence grows, the appointment reflects the company’s view that scale demands more communication, not less – a clearer public account of what it stands for, both to support recruitment and to maintain the standards expected of a company operating at the centre of European defence.