Whitespace Hires Former Meta PM Mike Howard as Chief Product Officer

Mike Howard joins Whitespace as Chief Product Officer

“If an organisation can make better, faster and smarter decisions than its competitors, or enemies, it wins,” said chief executive and co-founder Paul Jenkinson. That competitive calculus underpins the appointment of former Meta product manager Mike Howard as chief product officer at Whitespace.

The Tech TL;DR:
• Mike Howard joins UK defence AI firm Whitespace as chief product officer to direct product strategy and team growth ahead of a Series B funding round.
• The firm’s flagship platform, Collective, uses organizational learning to accelerate decision-making for staff in complex operational settings.
• Whitespace is actively expanding its market reach beyond the UK Ministry of Defence and NATO toward civilian government departments, banks, and healthcare providers.

Product Direction for Collective and Expansion Beyond Defence

Howard brings more than 20 years of technology and data experience to the Belfast-founded company. At Meta, he grew an engineering team in London to approximately 100 people, starting in core technology before transitioning to product leadership. Earlier in his career, he worked at Deloitte analyzing data and building financial models. In his new role, Howard will shape the trajectory of Whitespace’s core offering: an artificial intelligence platform called Collective. The software maps how an enterprise operates, using that structural knowledge to help personnel execute decisions rapidly.

“AI is closing the distance between idea and execution,” Howard said.

Founded in 2015, Whitespace has built its reputation primarily within high-stakes defence environments. The company maintains existing contracts with the UK Ministry of Defence and NATO. Last year, it also agreed to build specialized military AI software alongside Defence Holdings, a listed company. With Howard directing product development, Whitespace aims to pivot those battle-tested capabilities into commercial sectors, marketing Collective toward civilian government departments, financial institutions, and healthcare providers.

Preparation for Series B Following £10m Series A

The executive appointment arrives as the company prepares for its next funding round. In November 2025, Whitespace raised a £10m ($13m) Series A investment led by Beach Equity and White Cloud, as UKTN reported at the time. Paul Jenkinson noted that the firm spent a decade building technology designed for demanding operational settings and is now positioning those systems for global deployment, with Howard managing both product pipelines and engineering recruitment.

Positioning itself as a sovereign AI company, Whitespace emphasizes that its entire software stack is engineered and controlled within the UK. This places the firm alongside other European defence AI competitors, such as the much larger Helsing.

Disclaimer: The technical analyses and security protocols detailed in this article are for informational purposes only. Always consult with certified IT and cybersecurity professionals before altering enterprise networks or handling sensitive data.