SO1 Leadership
Lieutenant Colonel Dean Canham OBE (Mercian Regiment), graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2000, spending most of his regimental duty at 1 WFR and 2 Mercian, on tours in Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone and as the Reconnaissance Platoon Commander in Afghanistan in 2004. He was the Ceremonial Adjutant on State Ceremonial Duties in London, and the Battle Group Operations Officer back in Afghanistan in 2007. He subsequently commanded A (Grenadier) Company 2 Mercian in Afghanistan in 2011, led the Battalion’s contingent at the 2012 Olympic Games, and deployed to the Falkland Islands.
He has instructed junior soldiers and officers, at the Infantry Training Schools in Catterick and Brecon, and on the Intermediate Command and Staff Course. He has worked at the Army Personnel Centre, as an Executive Officer in Army HQ, on the Army Strategy team, and as a Plans Officer for Africa in the Joint Headquarters, for which he was appointed an OBE in 2018.
He took command of 1 Mercian in 2020, taking the Battle Group on operations in Estonia in 2021, and commanding the Lead Armoured Battle Group until spring 2023, when he became Head of the Centre for Army Leadership, based at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
SO2 Leadership
Major Bucknall commissioned into the Royal Military Police in 2011 and then completed the Military Police Officers Course and the Close Protection Course in quick succession. As a Junior Officer he conducted appointments as a Platoon Commander at 160 Provost Company, Operations Officer at 150 Provost Company, Training Officer at the Close Protection Unit, Adjutant of the Special Investigation Branch Regiment and Platoon Commander Instructor at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. During this period he also deployed to Khartoum, Sudan as the Close Protection Team Leader to Her Majesty’s Ambassador.
On promotion to Major he completed the Intermediate Command and Staff Course in 2020 where he also deployed to London. His initial appointment was as SO2 Security at Regional Command before arriving to his next appointment as Deputy Commandant. During his time as deputy commandant, he also deployed on Operation Interflex, being responsible for providing mission risk management and production of orders as part of a multinational effort to provide training to over 20,000 trainees annually. Upon finishing there, he deployed on Operation Shader as UK embed to a US HQ and then across the Broader Middle East. He arrived at the Centre of Army Leadership (CAL) as SO2 Leadership in Jan 2025.
Major Bucknall enjoys all aspects of physical training with his main passion being playing and chairing his Corps Basketball. He has also recently taken up golf and is striving towards finding his first fairway. He is an advocate for professional development and has recently completed a BA (Hons) in Leadership and Management and a Master’s in Business Administration. He lives with his wife Lauren and their two extremely needy Labradors Hunter (11) and Moose (one).
SO3 Plans
Captain Melissa Shepherd (HAC) started her Army career at the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) in 2003. She served in the Signals Squadron and then transferred to Training Wing as Course Sergeant Phase One Training and Lead Drill instructor. Following time as Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant and then Squadron Sergeant Major of Headquarter Squadron she reached the height of her soldier career when she was appointed Regimental Drill Sergeant in March 2019. In 2022 she passed Senior Soldier Entry Army Officer Selection Board, which paved the way to starting the next phase of her career at the CAL as the Staff lead for Project BRAMALL; the Army’s strategy for developing leadership as a professional capability.
After graduating from the University of St Andrews with a Masters in International Relations, she joined the Management Consulting division of Accenture and there after has held a range of senior Leadership, Learning and Talent roles in FTSE 100 companies. She is currently the Head of Learning for Aviva.
Outside of her day job and Army Reservist job, most of her time is spent with her family but when time allows, she enjoys listening to Radio 4 and reading.
Warrant Officer Leadership
Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) Ash Body (Royal Signals) commenced his Army career in 2003, completing recruit training at the Army Training Regiment Lichfield, followed by Phase 2 specialist training at the Royal School of Signals, Blandford.
WO2 Body has held various Junior and Senior Non-Commissioned Officer roles across multiple Royal Signals units, contributing to operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, Europe, and the 2012 Olympic Games. In 2019, he was appointed as a Staff Assistant within the Capability Development Directorate at NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) in Virginia, USA.
Following his promotion to WO2, he served at JSSU (Cyprus) as Squadron Sergeant Major (SSM) and Unit Training Officer. In 2024, WO2 Body assumed his current position as WO2 Leadership at the Centre for Army Leadership.
WO2 Body holds an MBA and a BA (Hons) in Leadership and Management. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling with his family, staying fit, and exploring craft beer.
Director of Research
Professor Lloyd Clark is Director of Research at the CAL, and a Professorial Research Fellow in the Humanities Research Institute, University of Buckingham. Lloyd is also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the Royal Geographical Society, and the British Commission for Military History, and sits on the advisory boards for several leading think tanks, academic journals and international research led organisations. He has worked with and for the British Army for over 30 years.
More information: Professor Lloyd Clark | University of Buckingham
Deputy Director of Research
Dr Linda Risso is Senior Researcher at the CAL. She is the Head of the Richard Holmes Library and the editor of the CAL Leadership Insights. Before joining the Ministry of Defence, Dr Risso worked as historian at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, in Mons (Belgium). She is an expert on European Security and Defence since 1945 with a particular focus on NATO. She is Senior Fellow of the Institute of Historical Research and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Contact the team
Email: [email protected]