London, UK – 31st March– Global protection brand, D3O/Delta Three Oscar, today announces the appointment of Matthieu Bazil as Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 April 2026, following the retirement of incumbent CEO Stuart Sawyer.

Bazil joins D3O as an experienced global CEO with a strong track record of building and scaling brands across a variety of industries including sportswear, 2 wheel and defence. His previous roles include President and CEO of 2 Ride Group,home to leading protection brands including Shark, Nolan, Troy Lee Designs and Bering; and President and CEO of Aqualung Group, a global leader in recreational, military and professional diving equipment. He also held senior executive leadership roles at Fox Racing, a D3O partner and leading brand in motocross and mountain bike equipment.

His background in military and professional-grade equipment gives him a strong understanding of the operational requirements, certification standards and procurement procedures that define modern defence markets.

The transition of the CEO role comes at a time when D3O’s innovation pipeline is full, with exciting new applications ready to launch and the business and brand foundations are primed for significant expansion.

Over the coming months, Bazil will work closely with outgoing CEO, Stuart Sawyer, to ensure a seamless leadership transition. After 15 years of establishing and building D3O into the world’s leading protection company, Sawyer is retiring as CEO and will join the Board of D3O with Investors Elysian Capital as a Non-Executive Director.

Bazil brings with him extensive expertise in brand development and international expansion and is ideally positioned to lead D3O through its next phase of strategic growth and global scaling, bringing with him a wealth of relevant experience across defence and law enforcement and a vast industry network.

“D3O is a market-leading brand with significant global growth potential, particularly within defence, law enforcement and military applications.” Said Bazil.  “The company’s ballistic arm, Delta Three Oscar has a well-established customer base, and is trusted by many of the world’s most elite defence organisations including the US Army, UK Special Forces and tactical teams across NATO countries. There is huge potential to grow the brand exponentially and I am looking forward to driving this expansion.”

Under Sawyer’s leadership, D3O has grown from a small UK based start-up to global SME head-quartered in London with operating offices in the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia.  During this time Sawyer has successfully seen the business through three private equity investments and the supply of the D3O technology to leading global brands that include the likes of the US Army, Formula One race teams, Adidas and Harley Davidson.

Stuart Sawyer commented: “It has been an extraordinary privilege to build D3O over the past 15 years and to see our technology adopted across so many industries and applications around the world. I am incredibly proud of the team we have built and the innovation and energy they bring and how we have grown and diversified the business. With these strong foundations and an exciting development pipeline in place, I am delighted to handover the reigns to Matthieuand believe he is the right leader to take D3O into its next chapter of growth and international expansion.”

Mike Brown, Partner at Elysian Capital, D3O’s private equity investor, also acknowledged Sawyer’s contribution and welcomed Bazil’s appointment: “Stuart has done an exceptional job building D3O into the world-leading protection company it is today. His vision, entrepreneurial drive and commitment to innovation have created a resilient and high-growth business. We are excited to welcome Matthieu to D3O and look forward to supporting him as the company enters its next phase of development and international expansion.”

With this leadership transition, D3O will continue to build onits mission of developing the world’s best protection technology, giving its users the subconscious advantage of knowing they are protected by the best.

Düsseldorf-based Rheinmetall AG and the Spanish technology Group Indra have signed a memorandum of understanding to further deepen their strategic cooperation, particularly in the production of military vehicle systems for European and Latin American Armed Forces. The next step is to establish a joint venture later this year in order to bid on a Spanish Army contract for the procurement of up to 3,000 military trucks.

With this agreement, both companies intend to expand their existing partnership and jointly address future projects in the field of modern defence and security technologies. 

This includes the modernization of tracked armoured vehicles, activities in the field of tactical support vehicles, as well as the joint participation in a solution for tactical tracked infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) and the establishment of consortia for opportunities in logistic trucks. 

The agreement extends beyond combat vehicles, covering other business areas, including space-based communication solutions, among others. The goal is to develop innovative solutions for armed forces whole while simultaneously strengthening the European industrial base in the defence sector in the long term. The MoU establishes the framework for more intensive cooperation across the entire value chain—from integration to production and service. Both companies will contribute their complementary capabilities in the areas of system integration, sensor technology, digitalization, and platform and effector systems. 

Rheinmetall and Indra are strengthening their position in the European defense market and are committed to expanding their joint projects over the long term.

Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG: “It’s a perfect match: Indra is the market leader in Spain, and Rheinmetall is the market leader in Germany. We intend to collaborate on vehicles, satellites, electronics, and naval systems. The starting point for this collaboration is the Spanish government’s two tenders for up to 3,000 military trucks and several hundred tactical vehicles. We’re talking about several billion euros.”

Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG: “With this Memorandum of Understanding, Rheinmetall and Indra are sending a clear signal for deeper European cooperation in the defence sector between Germany and Spain. Together, we are pooling our technological expertise to develop high-performance and future-oriented solutions for our customers.”

Ángel Escribano, Indra Group Executive President: “The long term relationship of trust we have established with Rheinmetall enables us to explore new areas of collaboration to deliver increasingly advanced systems, at ever greater speed, while ensuring the future leadership position of the European industry worldwide.”
José Vicente de los Mozos, Indra Group CEO: “Indra once again demonstrates its ability to build partnerships that allow us to accelerate delivery of the systems our customers require, reaffirming our commitment to Europe and its allies to reinforce technological sovereignty and strategic autonomy.”

The signing of the MoU highlights the shared objective of both companies to combine their innovative strengths in military vehicle systems and further expand cooperation in the European defence market, with emphasis in Spain and Germany, and also Latin America countries.
Rheinmetall AG is an integrated technology group, with its headquarters in Düsseldorf. Founded in 1889, it is a leading international systems house for the defence industry and operates within land, air, sea and space domains. A focus on sustainability is an integral part of Rheinmetall’s strategy. With around 33,000 employees at about 180 sites worldwide, the company has been listed on the DAX 40 since March 2023 and generated sales of €9.9 billion in the 2025 financial year.

Indra Group is the foremost Spanish multinational and one of the leading European companies that focus on defence and advanced digitalization. It stands at the forefront of the defence, space, air traffic management, mobility, and transformative technologies through Minsait, and it integrates its sovereign AI, cybersecurity and cyber defence capabilities into IndraMind. Indra Group is paving the way to a more secure and better-connected future through innovative solutions, trusted relationships and the very best talent. Sustainability is an integral part of its strategy and culture in order to overcome current and future social and environmental challenges. At the close of the 2025 financial year, Indra Group posted revenues of € 5.457 billion and had a local presence in 46 countries and business operations in over 140 countries.

Rheinmetall is celebrating its 40th anniversary since establishing operations in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Over the past four decades, the company has become a  trusted partner of militaries around the world and creates jobs, drives innovation, and generates economic benefits across Canada.

Since its establishment in 1986, Rheinmetall Canada has grown to be a global defence and security company providing multi-domain advanced solutions to armed forces worldwide. Its successes over the years have garnered international recognition for expertise in the design and integration of C4I solutions, vehicle systems and weapon systems and is the Canadian leader in autonomous ground systems.

Today, Rheinmetall’s solutions are deployed around the world bolstering international security and ensuring interoperability with Canada’s closest allies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Global leaders in autonomy

Rheinmetall Canada develops sovereign technologies for autonomous ground systems, rigorously tested in collaboration with allied nations such as Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. These efforts have resulted in highly adaptable and reliable solutions designed for specific missions and capable of supporting operations in multi-domain environments.

By incorporating lessons learnt from collaboration with Canada’s key allies, the Mission Master family of autonomous vehicles and the PATH autonomy kit have established themselves as industry standards, ensuring full interoperability with NATO member nations.

Valuable economic benefits for Canada

Though its international recognition is held in high regard, Rheinmetall Canada’s focus has remained at home. With operations in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Ottawa, and Edmonton, and a supply chain of over 900 small-to-medium businesses across Canada, Rheinmetall Canada has spent the past four decades leveraging Canadian expertise to deliver more than 20 programs to the Canadian Armed Forces, generating more than CAD 1.5 billion in industrial benefits. In addition, Rheinmetall Canada is proudly engaging with Indigenous communities to strengthen their participation across its supply chain and foster inclusive economic growth.

Rheinmetall Canada has a proven track record of localizing programs such as the Multi-Ammunition Softkill System (MASS), the Mobile Air Starter Unit (MSU), and the Remote-Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS). Building on this foundation, the company has grown exports of Canadian-developed solutions while maintaining economic benefits for its valuable domestic supply chain.

Global demand for the Rheinmetall Path Autonomous Kit and Mission Master suite of autonomous vehicles have further driven domestic growth, enabling expanded production capacity through international partners in the Nordics, Europe and North America—all led by Canada.

A strong advocate for research and development, Rheinmetall Canada collaborates with post-secondary institutions and research centres to advance military and dual-use technologies. By field-testing solutions in real-world environments, Rheinmetall pushes the boundaries of innovation and cements Canada’s position as a driver of next-generation defence capabilities.

A proud Canadian company

As countries around the world turn their focus to next-generation applications to modernize their forces, Rheinmetall Canada is a well-positioned industry leader while maintaining the benefits at home. A continued partnership with Rheinmetall is a commitment to modernize our forces, create high-quality Canadian jobs, grow exports, and strengthen national sovereignty – and this with Canadian-born and Canadian-developed solutions.