James Freeborough OBE

Defence Programmes & Transformation SME | ex-RAF Group Captain

James Freeborough brings over two decades of distinguished leadership experience from UK Defence, NATO, and global financial services to his role as founder of SurgeCell Ltd. As a former RAF Group Captain awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for exceptional leadership, James has built his career mobilising complex programmes, stabilising delivery in highly regulated environments, and successfully translating operational tempo into programme cadence.

Defence Leadership & Transformation

James's military career spans critical roles across operational command, regulatory leadership, and international defence engagement. As Commanding Officer of 31 Squadron RAF, he achieved a remarkable 50% increase in operational flying output without additional resources—a testament to his innovative leadership approach that earned him the OBE. His strategic vision extended globally when he led MOD Strategic Defence Engagement, coordinating over 750 staff across approximately 90 countries with an annual budget of £70 million. Under his leadership, the Defence Attaché network expanded by 15% and classified communications effectiveness improved by more than 150%.

His regulatory expertise was honed through senior positions at the Military Aviation Authority, where he led critical safety and transformation initiatives following the post-Haddon-Cave reforms, managing safety case development and stakeholder alignment across the aviation regulatory landscape.

Commercial Excellence

Transitioning his transformation expertise to the financial sector, James served as Head of Ledger Technology & Controls at a leading global investment bank, overseeing 300+ staff with a $50 million budget. His strategic operating model redesign delivered approximately $75 million in 10-year savings through cloud storage optimization while dramatically improving operational resilience—reducing major incidents from over 20 per year in 2022 to zero in 2024.

Academic Foundation

James's strategic thinking is underpinned by robust academic credentials, including an MPhil in International Relations & Politics from the University of Cambridge, an MA in Defence Studies from King's College London, and a BEng (Hons) in Avionic Systems Engineering from Bristol University. His continuous professional development includes advanced leadership qualifications from Manchester Business School and specialized military training including the Advanced Command & Staff Course.

SurgeCell Value Proposition

Through SurgeCell, James leverages his unique combination of operational credibility, senior MOD networks, and proven transformation track record to deliver measurable value across the defence programme lifecycle. His approach encompasses strategic pursuit support through customer insight and stakeholder mapping, winning capability through defence domain expertise and operational credibility, and performance delivery through post-award mobilisation and multi-vendor integration.

With extensive networks across MOD/RAF, the Military Aviation Authority, and cross-government relationships spanning Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, James provides clients with unparalleled access and insight into the defence sector's most critical programmes and stakeholders.