MALVERN defence technology company Qinetiq has appointed Karen Oddey as managing director of its Technology Solutions business.

She will focus on using Qinetiq's rich technology base to provide services and solutions to defence and other customers.

She joins Qinetiq from Thales Corporation, where she is managing director of its UK Land and Joint Systems division, responsible for a team of around 1,600.

Qinetiq chief executive Graham Love said: "I am very pleased to welcome Karen Oddey to QinetiQ. She has a breadth of leadership experience and a track record of growing technology businesses which will complement the skills of our management team as we continue to grow the technology supply side of our defence business."

She said: "Qinetiq has a strong reputation for delivering technology solutions into major defence programmes. This is a great opportunity to contribute to the growth of Qinetiq's technology supply business, and I am looking forward to working with Qinetiq's talented technical community to achieve this."

Before joining Thales, Oddey spent 14 years with 3Com Corporation. She trained as a mechanical engineer at Leeds University, where she took a first class honours degree, and has an MBA from London Business School.