Executive leadership of the Defence Digital commercial function, with responsibility for a multi-billion-pound annual portfolio and wider category strategy.
- Led a Defence Digital commercial portfolio of approximately £3bn annually, with category responsibility across a further major technology portfolio.
- Delivered £1.6bn of verified commercial savings and identified a further £1.5bn opportunity pipeline.
- Designed and embedded the Defence Digital Commercial category management operating model.
- Led major technology and network transformation procurements, enterprise software agreements, satellite commercial programmes and professional services consolidation.
- Established the Defence Digital Collaboration Code of Practice with more than 130 suppliers and techUK.
- Led a two-year commercial capability transformation that raised organisational capability from SFIA Level 2 to Levels 4–5.
- Chaired the Government Commercial Function Southern Region Council.
- Led European procurement transformation and the commercial integration of the $2bn Volvo IT acquisition.
- Delivered $25m savings across EMEA while strengthening global collaboration and simplifying procurement governance.
- Created a regional procurement operating model, integrated four procurement organisations and delivered more than $85m annual savings.
- Earlier commercial, sourcing and procurement leadership roles with British Airways, building broad commercial experience across aviation, IT, facilities, and customer-facing airport services.
Credentials
- MCIPS – Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply
- Former Chair – Government Commercial Function Southern Region Council
- Leadership experience across UK Government, multinational technology and outsourcing organisations
About Lee Rimmer
I am an independent commercial and digital adviser with more than 35 years’ experience across UK Government and global technology, telecommunications and aviation organisations. From 2018 to 2024, I was Commercial Director for Defence Digital within the UK Ministry of Defence, leading the commercial function responsible for £2.4bn of annual digital spend and category strategy across a further £2bn. My role encompassed major technology sourcing, commercial and organisational transformation, strategic supplier management and the development of new approaches to collaboration between Defence and the technology industry.
Before joining Government, I held senior European and EMEA procurement and supply chain leadership roles with HCL, Level 3 Communications and CSC. These roles combined responsibility for significant technology and operational expenditure with supporting customer propositions, sales activity, strategic supplier relationships and business transformation. This experience gives me a perspective from both sides of major technology relationships: understanding how large customers buy and govern technology services, as well as the commercial realities facing suppliers seeking to win, structure and successfully deliver complex engagements.
I began my career with British Airways, gaining broad commercial experience across automotive, IT, facilities and construction before moving into customer-facing airport services, and subsequently held a senior commercial role with Vodafone. I now advise organisations, executives and sales teams on commercial strategy, digital transformation, major technology procurements, sourcing and supplier strategy, bids and competitive positioning, operating models, commercial assurance and complex commercial decisions. I am particularly interested in assignments where independent commercial judgement, market insight and experience of both the buyer and supplier perspectives can help organisations make better decisions.
Work with Lee Rimmer
If your organisation would benefit from senior independent commercial counsel spanning both public sector procurement and global technology delivery, get in touch for an initial conversation.
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