Sovereign Capability Group (SCG) announced the acquisition of UBH Group (UBH), a Brisbane-headquartered provider of advanced mission systems, engineering and defence solutions. Subject to the completion of remaining Conditions Precedent, UBH will join SCG at the end of 2025. The acquisition represents a strategic milestone in SCG’s mission to enhance Australia’s sovereign industrial base.
Based in Brisbane, Canberra and Perth, UBH will continue to operate under the leadership of CEO Jeff Batten and the founding team, ensuring continuity for clients and employees while unlocking new opportunities for innovation and growth.
Andrew Buttsworth, CEO of SCG, said: “UBH brings domain knowledge, technical expertise and a strong track record in delivering complex defence solutions. Their capabilities are highly complementary to our current work across maritime shipbuilding and sustainment, mission systems engineering and specialist software development. This acquisition strengthens our ability to provide integrated, sovereign capabilities to Australia’s defence and national security sectors. It also provides growth and development pathways for our staff, enhanced geographical footprint and a larger combined resource base on which our clients can depend. The acquisition will see SCG approach 150 staff members, with points of presence in nearly every key Defence centre. I’m particularly delighted that UBH Group’s current Chair, Brigadier (Ret) Professor Ian Langford, DSC and Bars has agreed to join SCG’s Strategic Advisory Board. Ian’s reputation as one of Australia’s pre-eminent defence thinkers is well known and we are proud to have him lend his insights to the broader SCG mission. We’re also excited about the strong veteran-led culture in UBH, with the founders and many staff all having previously served in uniform. It was this culture which saw UBH named Veteran-Owned Business of the Year at the Defence Industry Awards in 2025. We’re excited to welcome the UBH team into the SCG family and look forward to working together to support our Defence and Government customers even more closely.”
Jeff Batten, CEO of UBH, added: “Joining Sovereign Capability Group marks an exciting new chapter for UBH. We share a common vision for delivering high-impact, sovereign solutions, and this partnership will allow us to scale our capabilities and continue delivering exceptional outcomes for our clients. The additional scale of SCG creates more opportunities for our staff and customers alike.”
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