Beer, rock music and rugby – plus a bit of gardening on the side. That’s our Scotsman, Dave!
Dave Barker
Chief Strategy Officer
Dave brings over 40 years of engineering leadership and business growth experience — a proven strategist with deep technical and commercial expertise.
About Dave
A Chartered Mechanical Engineer, Dave began his career at Paterson Candy International, designing advanced reverse osmosis systems for process industries before joining Gravatom Projects as Senior Designer.
He went on to lead a management buyout to form Gravatom Engineering Systems, growing it into a 120-person business with £10m turnover and £500k profit — before selling it for £6.5m (12x earnings) to ONET, a €2b organisation.
Never one to stand still, Dave founded Aquila Nuclear Engineering, specialising in the design, assembly and installation of nuclear systems across four core areas: Containment, Shielded Systems, Remote Handling, and Transport & Packaging.
Under his leadership, Aquila grew to 140 people with £11m turnover and £700k profit before being successfully sold to EDF (€140b) in 2022 for 18x earnings.
A proven entrepreneur and strategic leader, Dave combines deep technical expertise with commercial acumen and a consistent track record of building and exiting high-performance engineering businesses.
Experience & Expertise
Frankly, Dave’s Approach
Dave brings precision, foresight and calm authority to every project. He focuses on clarity of purpose, sound strategy and practical delivery that drives measurable growth.
