Ilika CEO discusses appointment of former general to drive Goliath's defence push

Ilika PLC (AIM:IKA, OTCQX:ILIKF, FRA:I8A) CEO Graeme Purdy spoke with Proactive's Stephen Gunnion about the appointment of a recently retired major general as a defence advisor and the market opportunity for the company's Goliath batteries. Purdy highlighted Anderton-Brown's decades of military experience across procurement, logistics and communication systems, saying he is helping Ilika engage with defence manufacturing partners and identify applications where Goliath could be particularly well differentiated. The appointment comes as Ilika builds on positive results announced earlier in the year following battlefield testing of Goliath batteries. Batteries manufactured towards the end of 2025 were provided for testing by an agency advising the UK Ministry of Defence, and Ilika has since been engaging further with the defence industry. The company is now analysing potential markets for its 10Ah Goliath prototype cell while working to productise the technology, with Purdy explaining that selecting applications suited to Goliath's particular characteristics will be key to the commercialisation strategy. On the wider market, Purdy pointed to the growing role of autonomous systems and battery-powered communications and intelligence equipment within defence: "So we're seeing that it is a huge opportunity," he said. "And what's absolutely key for us is that we choose the right beachhead application." The next stage will involve engagement with partners providing battery-powered solutions to the defence sector, which Purdy said is expected to generate news flow in the coming months, with Anderton-Brown's experience central to that push. Visit Proactive’s YouTube channel for more interviews and videos. Give this video a like, subscribe to the channel and enable notifications so you don’t miss future content. Read Proactive's Editorial Policy here: https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/pages/editorialPolicy #Ilika #IlikaPLC #Goliath #GoliathBatteries #SolidStateBatteries #BatteryTechnology #DefenceTechnology #DefenceIndustry #Defence #BatteryInnovation #AutonomousSystems #MOD #EnergyStorage #GraemePurdy #Proactive