Four new honorary officers appointed

Sailing legend Dr Iain Percy – who won golds at the Sydney and Beijing games – has been made an Honorary Captain and so too has academic Professor John Bew and The Lord Stevens of Birmingham.

Meanwhile, Keith Breslauer – a long supporter of the Royal Marines, including as Vice Patron of the Royal Marines Charity – has been made an Honorary Colonel.

Honorary Officers are appointed to advocate for the Service and bring a wealth of knowledge, insight and expertise which the Navy can benefit from at all levels. They come from different sectors including business, parliament, local government, academia, sporting and adventuring and television.

The First Sea Lord is delighted to announce the appointment of the four new Honorary Officers:

Honorary Captain Professor John BEW

John Bew is a leading academic, author, and senior government advisor with extensive experience in UK foreign policy and national security. He served as Chief Foreign Policy Advisor at 10 Downing Street, working under four Prime Ministers and across two general elections. He led the development of the Integrated Review in 2021 and its Refresh in 2023. He also played a key role in shaping UK policy at major summits such as the G7, G20, NATO, and the UN General Assembly. He is Professor of History and Foreign Policy at King’s College London, a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and a Senior Advisor at the Australian National Security College. 

Honorary Colonel Keith BRESLAUER

Keith Breslauer is Managing Partner of Patron Capital, a leading UK and pan-European property investment firm. He has long supported the Royal Marines, including as Vice Patron of RMA – The Royal Marines Charity (RMA-TRMC), raising over £6.5 million for RMA-TRMC since 2010. Over this period, he has helped thousands of serving and retired Royal Marines, their families, and those transitioning to civilian life. He has taken part in a number of expeditions and events in support of Royal Marines causes, including the 87.5 nautical mile kayak paddle across the English Channel with the RMA and veterans rehabilitated by the Hasler Naval Service Recovery Centre to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Honorary Captain Dr Iain PERCY

Dr. Iain Percy is a double Olympic champion sailor and entrepreneur. He won gold medals in the Finn class at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the Star class at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and a silver medal in the Star class at the 2012 London Olympics. After retiring from competitive sailing, he moved into team management and applied technology, establishing Artemis Technologies to develop green innovations for marine transportation.

Honorary Captain The Lord STEVENS of Birmingham

Lord Stevens has had a distinguished career in both the public and private sectors. He is Chair of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Chair of Cancer Research UK, a trustee of the Commonwealth Fund of New York, and an independent crossbench member of the House of Lords. He previously served as Chief Executive of NHS England for seven years, having also worked internationally and as a senior policy adviser to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street.