Mr Michael J Stepney
Deputy Chief Operating Officer
Border Force, Home Office
United Kingdom
Mike Stepney joined the Royal Air Force in September 1990 on a University Cadetship, completing his degree in History and Politics from Keele University in 1993 and graduating from RAF Cranwell in 1994. Mike went on to serve in a combination of operational and staff roles, with tours of the Falkland Islands, Iraq, Gibraltar and Afghanistan. Selected for the ‘Executive Stream’ he completed his master’s degree at the United Kingdom Defence Academy, before becoming the strategic-planning lead for Afghanistan and Middle East air operations. After leaving the military he was appointed as Chief Executive to the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, with responsibility for delivering effective policing, community safety and criminal-justice outcomes across the South East of England. In 2015 Mike was appointed as the Border Force Director of National Operations with responsibility for co-ordinating the delivery of effective border security across the United Kingdom. He moved to the position of Deputy Chief Operating Officer in Oct 2017.