Associates
Monet Goode
Melanie De Young is a distinguished leader in the Canadian aerospace and defence industry, bringing two decades of expertise to the field. With seven years dedicated to managing Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) initiatives, Melanie is celebrated for her exceptional skill in contract management and the successful delivery of complex ITB programs.
A respected voice within the industry, Melanie contributes her insights and leadership as a member of the Board of Directors for the Industrial Participation Association of Canada (IPAC), currently chairing the Government Relations Committee. Her academic credentials include a Professional Logistics Designation from The Logistics Institute and a Bachelor of Commerce (Co-op) from Dalhousie University, underscoring her commitment to excellence and lifelong learning. In the summer of 2022, Melanie was recognized by WINGS magazine as one of Canada’s Top 20 Under 40 for her leadership and impact in the Canadian aerospace and defence sector. At the time, she was serving as Director of ITB Programs at IMP Aerospace & Defence, where her work focused on leveraging industrial participation commitments into meaningful research, business development, and industry partnerships.
Widely recognized across the Canadian defence sector, Melanie is an active presence at trade shows and industry events, driving business development and thought leadership as a panellist and presenter. Her comprehensive mastery of ITB policy encompasses both major corporations and small enterprises, and she is renowned for cultivating high-value strategic partnerships that deliver measurable business impact and maximize ITB credits.
Associate
Neil Rutter
Neil has worked in offsets and industrial participation as an employee or consultant for many large and smaller defence companies for over 40 years. As an employee of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, he was responsible for all industrial cooperation obligations outside Europe totaling over $7 billion. As an employee of Textron Systems, he was responsible for all its industrial cooperation obligations globally and also was responsible for Business Development in many countries, including Canada. He was President of Blenheim Capital Services responsible for managing Blenheim’s relationships with US defence companies.
Neil’s last employment position was as the General Manager for Textron Systems Canada where he was responsible for the capture and management of the Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) contracts. In addition, he developed other business opportunities for Textron Systems in Canada and managed the US$700M IRB (ITB) obligation.
Neil while at Textron Systems Canada was Chair of two ad hoc committees established by the Canadian Association of Defence & Security (CADSI) which provided suggested improvements to Canada’s offset policies to the Ministers responsible (now ISED and PSPC). Neil and several other experienced offset personnel in defence companies active in Canada decided that the obligors, like TKMS, needed a voice to the government independent of potential beneficiaries. As a result, he was a founding member and first Chair of the Industrial Participation Association of Canada (IPAC). He was an active member of the Global Offset & Countertrade Association (GOCA – now GICA), as a member of the Board for many years and past Chair and President.
Prior to working in countertrade and offset, Neil was a lawyer, licensed in Canada and the USA. He has a BA (Hon) (Queens University, Canada), LL.B. (University of Windsor, Canada, and a LLM. in International Law (New York University, School of Law). He was an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces and attended university on a military scholarship.
Associate
AssociateIan Kitchen
AssociateRobyn Carreras
Robin D Carreras has built a strong 38+ years career in the U.S. and international defense and high technology industries sectors focusing on international sales and special projects development and management. He began his diverse defense experience with Rockwell International Corporation in 1985 and continued on in the defense industry with Rockwell Collins, Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Raytheon Company, including the subsequent merger with United Technologies to form the new Raytheon Technologies Corporation/RTX. Robin retired from RTX in August 2023.
Robin’s business experience covers various commercial sales and management activities prior to concentrating in the defense industry, specifically in Contracts Management, Export/Import activities, global Industrial Cooperation/Offsets Projects and International Business Development. These skill areas were used in developing and managing projects for Space (satellites, communications, imaging), Defense Electronics (airborne, land, maritime), Medical (dual-use), Software (dual-use), Science and R & D in support of defense products sales in the United States, Canada, Europe, Turkiye, Middle East/North Africa, and Asia Pacific (including Australia and New Zealand) with some additional experience in South America (Argentina, Brazil and Chile).
He holds two Bachelors Degrees in History and Cultural Anthropology from California State University-Fullerton and a Masters Degree in Business Management. Robin currently resides in Southern California, USA.