Ilika PLC (AIM:IKA, OTCQX:ILIKF, FRA:I8A), a pioneer of solid-state battery technology, has appointed a recently retired major general as a strategic adviser to help sell its batteries into the defence sector.
Robin Anderton-Brown joins after a 30-year military career that ended as two-star Director of Capability at UK Strategic Command.
There he oversaw the Ministry of Defence's most varied equipment portfolio, spanning communications, surveillance, logistics and medical systems.
Solid-state batteries replace the flammable liquid inside conventional lithium-ion cells with a solid material, promising greater safety and energy density.
Ilika is targeting the defence market with Goliath, its larger-format cell aimed at applications from vehicles to portable kit.
Chief executive Graeme Purdy said Anderton-Brown combined knowledge of applications with insight into how to bring products to market in line with defence priorities.
Anderton-Brown said Goliath offered compelling benefits that he hoped to match with fast-growing demand, pointing to efforts to re-equip European forces with up-to-date technology.
The appointment comes as governments across Europe lift military spending, opening fresh opportunities for suppliers of advanced kit.
