An interview with Mark Whittington, Project Manager at Certes IT, by Louise Shade, Marketing Manager.

 

After 28 years in the military, Mark Whittington’s move into a project management role within Defence was less a clean break and more a natural evolution. The terminology changed, the environment changed, and the commercial world took some getting used to, but the core skills were already there: leading people, managing budgets, solving problems and delivering outcomes under pressure. In fact, transitioning to the responsibilities of a Project Manager in Defence is something many ex-military professionals experience.

“Everyone was saying everybody that leaves the military is almost like a natural project manager,” Mark explains. “The roles and responsibilities that you have as a PM naturally align to how you deliver things within the army. They’re called different things, but the processes are the same.”

For Mark, the attraction was also personal. After two decades in specialist welfare roles, he wanted a fresh challenge, one that still drew on his strengths. A long-standing interest in technology, combined with experience running IT projects in his final military role, helped him see where he could add value: bridging the gap between technical teams and end users.

 

From military delivery to project management

One of Mark’s biggest lessons is that project management is rarely about applying a textbook methodology perfectly. In fact, managing projects as a Project Manager in Defence environments often means adapting to what each situation demands. In practice, he has found that successful delivery often means taking a hybrid approach; combining structure, governance and flexibility depending on the challenge in front of you.

“The only methodology that I would say I have applied for project management is a hybrid approach,” he says. “It’s a little bit like going around Tesco’s and doing shopping for a recipe because you need a little bit of this and a little bit of that.”

That adaptability, Mark believes, is especially important in secure and complex environments where teams are often geographically dispersed, priorities shift, and no single framework fits every situation. Methodologies still matter. They provide the handrails for governance, risk, budget control and decision-making, but delivery also depends on judgement.

 

Building trust starts with authenticity

When asked how to build trust with stakeholders in a highly regulated environment, Mark’s answer is immediate: “Be authentic. You have to be authentic, and if you don’t know, you have to own it.”

He is clear that a project manager does not need to be the most technical person in the room. Their role is to coordinate the people who are. Within the defence sector, Mark describes the role as similar to a conductor of an orchestra, orchestrating success as Project Manager in Defence by bringing together different specialists so that, collectively, they can deliver something that works.

That trust is built by getting alongside people, understanding what they do and asking what they need. “What do you need from me to make your job better?” is a question Mark has carried into his work with technical teams.

It is also about protecting the team. Mark believes people do their best work when they feel safe, valued and heard. A leadership principle he developed in the military and still applies today. “If they know that you’ve got their backs, they will hopefully work harder for you because they feel valued.”

 

Listen to the experts

Technical experts have had a major influence on the way Mark manages projects. His advice is simple: listen to them. They are the subject matter experts, and a PM who ignores their advice risks setting unrealistic expectations and losing the confidence of the team. Thus, listening is a critical part of being a Project Manager in Defence roles.

“Technical people are there for a reason,” Mark says. “I’m just the conductor. I can’t go in and connect a network or activate switches — that’s what they do.”

This also means being realistic with stakeholders. Project managers sit between the team doing the work and the people expecting the outcome. Overpromising, Mark warns, creates pressure in the wrong place. “Don’t write a cheque you can’t cash to a stakeholder,” he says.

 

The best project teams believe in the journey

For Mark, the strongest project teams are the ones that understand the purpose of what they are delivering. Bringing people together from different departments, organisations and backgrounds is rarely seamless. Teams need time to form, challenge, settle and find their rhythm.

That process requires empathy and awareness. People work differently, communicate differently and respond to pressure differently. A good PM pays attention to those differences and creates the conditions for people to contribute effectively. In Defence, a Project Manager must be especially attuned to these complexities.

“It’s about taking people on the journey,” Mark says. “Understanding the need, believing in that need, believing in the plan — and then delivering it.”

 

The future of project management in secure environments

Looking ahead, Mark sees artificial intelligence as both an opportunity and a challenge. AI may be able to support planning, risk logs, budgets and administrative project management tasks, but he does not believe it can replace the human side of the role.

“AI will be very good at giving you a delivery plan, but it will not be able to coordinate a team. It will not be able to do the people-facing stuff.”

For Mark, the future depends on balance. AI can enhance delivery, but project management still relies on relationships, judgement, governance and trust. In secure environments, where risk and accountability matter, the human role of the Project Manager in Defence will remain essential.

 

Final reflections

Mark’s project management philosophy is grounded in experience: be authentic, listen properly, protect your team, manage risk openly and never stop learning. His military background gave him discipline, resilience and a delivery mindset, but his journey as a project manager has also taught him the importance of humility, curiosity and people-first leadership. Ultimately, succeeding as a Project Manager in Defence requires both technical and interpersonal skills.

“You can move mountains if you can get the team in the right place,” he says. And perhaps that is the clearest lesson of all: successful project management is not just about plans, processes or frameworks. It is about people. Bringing them together, giving them confidence and helping them deliver something that matters.