Defence Holdings PLC (LSE:ALRT) shares jumped more than 30% in Monday's early exchanges after it announced the appointment of Field Marshal Lord Houghton of Richmond as its new non-executive chairman, with effect from 1 October.
He was formerly Chief of the Defence Staff and was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal in June 2025.
His military career spanned more than 40 years, including senior roles in Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland. And, he was elevated to the House of Lords as a crossbench peer in 2017 and serves on the International Relations and Defence Committee.
"Lord Houghton is one of the most senior and respected figures in UK defence history. His leadership experience, strategic acumen, and credibility at the highest levels of government and military command will be transformational for Defence Holdings," deputy chair James Norwood said.
Lord Houghton, meanwhile, commented: "I am delighted and excited to be joining Defence Holdings PLC. Delighted because they are the first defence company to have been conceived, by design, to help deliver the outcomes of the emerging defence industrial strategy: agile, sovereign and wholly focused on exploiting the digital revolution to the UK's national advantage."
In London, Defence Holdings shares were up 30% changing hands at 1.89p - after reaching a new high of 2.4p earlier today.