Ian Spencer

Ian Spencer is the senior civilian Geographer and Geospatial Analyst in the UK Ministry of Defence. As a Deputy Head of the UK’s National Centre for Geospatial Intelligence (NCGI), Ian is responsible for delivering global Foundation GEOINT, which comprises assured geospatial and environmental information, products and services, to UK Defence and increasingly to support Partners across Government. His mission is focused primarily on enabling Safety of Navigation and providing the geospatial foundation to enable global situational awareness, Defence strategic to tactical analysis and understanding, planning, training and deployments. Ian leads 450 civilian and military personnel delivering geographic support and aeronautical navigation support through the Defence Geographic Centre (primarily at MOD Feltham, also at RAF Wyton) and the No 1 Aeronautical Information Documents Unit (at RAF Northolt).

He also leads and assures the service delivery agreements through which the UK Met Office and UK Hydrographic Office satisfy Defence’s global requirements for meteorological, oceanographic and oceanographic support. Ian is the head of the civilian Defence Geography Profession, part of the Intelligence function in UK MOD.

Ian is also the UM MOD’s Departmental Head for the broader Government Geography Profession, sponsored by the Geospatial Commission within the Cabinet Office and part of the Government Analysis Function. Ian is a Geography BSc graduate of Royal Holloway and Bedford New College (University of London). He joined the Mapping and Charting Establishment (RE) in 1990 and worked in the fields of geographic information source evaluation, information management, and product and standards development.

In 2002 Ian achieved a distinction in the Master of Business Administration programme at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine. Since becoming a member of the Defence Geographic Centre Management Team in 2004 Ian’s leadership roles have included capability planning, delivery and integration; business and resource management and corporate planning; learning & development; information management; and geographic research. He was promoted into his current position as Deputy Head NCGI-Foundation and Director of the Defence Geographic Centre in October 2015.

Ian is a Chartered Geographer and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society; a Chartered Manager and Member of the Chartered Management Institute; and a member of the British Cartographic Society. Outside the workplace Ian has experience as a Chair of a School Governing Body and as a Churchwarden.