Air Vice-Marshal Mark Ridgway

Head of Defence Futures Integration Design Authority - Strategic Command

Air Vice-Marshal Mark Ridgway grew up in North London and joined the Royal Air Force in 1999, commissioning as an Intelligence Officer. His staff tours to date have included in the Permanent Joint Headquarters, in the Air Warfare Centre, in 11 Group at Air Command, in the United States Central Command and in various professional roles across the RAF, Joint, Defence and international organisations. He has also had the privilege of commanding in single Service, Joint, pan-Defence, and multi-national entities. Mark has further deployed multiple times to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the wider Middle East. Following a tour as Commander of the National Centre for Geospatial Intelligence, he became Director Defence Futures on promotion to Air Vice-Marshal in October 2024. Mark is a graduate of the UK Advanced and Higher Command and Staff Courses and an alumnus of the Windsor Leadership Trust. Academically, Mark holds a Bachelor’s degree in Politics from the University of Nottingham and three Master’s degrees in: Terrorism Studies from the University of St Andrews; Defence Studies from Kings College, London; and Leadership and Management from the University of Portsmouth. The latter was conducted under a Chief of the Air Staff's Fellowship and focused on leadership of military and civil servant analysts. He subsequently completed a Doctorate in Business Administration under a further CAS Fellowship, studying empowerment and mission command in the Information Age military. Mark is a strong advocate of lifelong learning, diverse perspectives and empowered innovation. In his spare time he enjoys running, reading and piano playing