David Steel (Royal Navy officer)

Vice Admiral Sir David George Steel, KBE DL (born 6 April 1961) is a retired senior Royal Navy officer who served as Second Sea Lord from 2012 to 2015. He assumed the office of Governor of Gibraltar in June 2020.

His Excellency Vice Admiral Sir David Steel KBE DL
Vice Admiral Sir David Steel
Governor of Gibraltar
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 June 2020
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Chief Minister	Fabian Picardo
Preceded by	Edward Davis
Personal details
Born	6 April 1961
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service Knight of Grace of the Order of St John
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	Royal Navy
Years of service	1979–2015
Rank	Vice Admiral
Commands	Second Sea Lord Naval Secretary HM Naval Base Portsmouth
Battles/wars	Kosovo War

Viceregal styles of Sir David Steel (2020-)
Reference style	His Excellency
Spoken style	Your Excellency

Early life

Steel was born on 6 April 1961. He was educated at Rossall School in Lancashire and attended Durham University where he read law, graduating in 1983.[1] He was called to the bar in 1988.[2]

Military career

Steel joined the Royal Navy in 1979.[2] His early career was spent in a variety of sea and shore appointments, including as the Fleet Legal Adviser. In December 1999, while serving in the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible, he was awarded a Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in support of operations in Kosovo and Macedonia earlier that year.[3] In November 2005 he assumed command of HM Naval Base Portsmouth and in that capacity was honoured for his "inspirational leadership" during the Government's savings review of Naval Bases in 2007.[4] He was also appointed Chief Naval Logistics Officer and Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty The Queen.[5]

In November 2008 he was appointed Director of Service Personnel Policy (Pay and Allowances) at the Ministry of Defence and,[6] in April 2010, he was promoted to rear admiral and appointed Naval Secretary.[7] He was promoted to vice admiral and appointed Second Sea Lord in October 2012.[8]

Already a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), Steel was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours.[9][10] He was appointed a Knight of the Order of St John (KStJ) on 11 November 2020. [11]

Later professional life

In 2011 Steel was appointed as a Director of Portsmouth Cultural Trust, a role he held until 2016.[12] In 2015 he became Chief Executive of the Leeds Castle Foundation and Enterprises Limited.[13] He is a Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire,[14] a Freeman of the City of London,[15] and a Bencher of the Middle Temple.[16]

Among his other commitments Steel is a trustee of the Nuffield Trust for the Forces of the Crown,[17] and President and Chairman of Trustees of the Union Jack Club.[18] [19] He is President of the Church of England Soldiers’, Sailors’ and Airmen's Clubs and Housing Association,[20] Patron of the Boleh Sailing Trust,[21][22] a Vice-President of the Marine Society & Sea Cadets,[23][24] and an ambassador for the Woodland Trust.[25][26]

On 19 May 2020 the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office announced that he was to be the Governor of Gibraltar. He assumed the role on 11 June 2020.[27]

Honours

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Order of the British Empire (KBE)	Knight Commander Military Division 2015 New Years Honours List Commander 2009 [28][29]
	Knight of the Order of St John (KStJ)	2020
	General Service Medal	With "NORTHERN IRELAND" Clasp
	NATO Medal for Kosovo	With Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service
	Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal	2002 UK Version of this Medal
	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal	2012 UK Version of this Medal
	Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal	With 2 Clasps

References

1. "Durham University gazette, 1982/83". reed.dur.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
2. "Chief of Naval Personnel & Training and Second Sea Lord". MOD – Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 2 April 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
3. "No. 55711". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1999. p. 43.
4. Hands off our base Portsmouth News, 17 October 2007
5. Royal Navy Logistics officers' conference – A NAVSUP perspective Navy Supply Corps Newsletter, 1 September 2008
6. "Royal Navy Engineer takes command of Portsmouth Naval Base". Queen's Harbour Master. Archived from the original on 24 December 2010. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
7. Next 2SL is appointed Navy News, February 2010
8. Ups and outs July 2012 Defence Viewpoints
9. "No. 61092". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2014. p. N5.
10. "New Year Honours for service personnel and defence civilians 2015". Retrieved 31 December 2014.
11. "Promotions in, and Appointments to, the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem". Retrieved 14 December 2020.
12. "Portsmouth Cultural Trust Trustees: Director". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
13. "Chief Executive of the Leeds Castle Foundation". Leeds Castle. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
14. "No. 60930". The London Gazette. 14 July 2014. p. 13797.
15. "Vice Admiral David Steel". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 2 April 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
16. "Masters of the Bench". Middle Temple. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
17. "The Nuffield Trust for the Forces of the Crown Governance and Administration". The Nuffield Trust for the Forces of the Crown. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
18. "Council & General Committee". The Union Jack Club. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
19. "The Union Jack Club 5 Year Plan" (PDF). The Union Jack Club. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
20. "CESSAC Impact Statement" (PDF). CESSAC. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
21. "Trustees of Boleh Trust". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
22. "Boleh's Patron and Trustees". Boleh Trust. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
23. "11th Annual Court of Marine Society & Sea Cadets". Marine Society & Sea Cadets. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
24. "Marine Society & Sea Cadets Trustees". Marine Society & Sea Cadets. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
25. "Woodland Trust Ambassadors". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
26. "Battle of Jutland Memorial Wood". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
27. "Change of Governor of Gibraltar". Gov.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
28. "No. 61092". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2014. p. N5.
29. "New Year Honours for service personnel and defence civilians 2015". Retrieved 31 December 2014.

External links

Media related to Sir David Steel at Wikimedia Commons