Jonathan Shaw

Major General Jonathan Shaw CB, CBE, distinguished his nearly three-decade career in the British Army by becoming its first head of Cyber Security, a foundational role he undertook while serving as Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Global Issues) in January 2011. Commissioned into the Parachute Regiment in 1981, his early service included deployment as a platoon commander with the 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, during the Falklands War in 1982. Throughout his initial career, Major General Shaw gained extensive experience in diverse operational environments, serving in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. After attending the Staff College, Camberley, between 1989 and 1990, he rapidly rose through the ranks, taking command of the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, in 1997.

He currently chairs Optima Group, an explosive clearance company, leveraging his extensive operational background. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed ‘Britain in a Perilous World: the Strategic Defence and Security Review we need,’ published in 2014, which reflects his ongoing commitment to shaping defense discourse. Major General Shaw regularly shares his insights on defense issues through public speaking engagements and as a commentator in national media outlets, including the Financial Times and The Guardian.