What did you do (in the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force, Guard, or Reserves)?

I was an infantry Army Cadet when I was 14-18 year old, in the RGBW (Royal Gloucestershire Berkshire Wiltshire) (Royal Gloucestershire Berkshire Wiltshire regiment, now disbanded) I then joined the army reserves in the Royal signals for a year before I was of age to join the regular British Army, this was in 1999.

I was in The Army Air Corps as a ground crewman Landing Point Commander before I became a Lance Corporal (recommended for promotion and commission). From there I served in Iraq in 2003 during the war conflict to liberate Iraq (Op Telic 1).

I originally wanted to join the Royal Military Police (RMP), or the Royal Engineers (RE), as my grandfather was a Lieutenant Colonel in the RE, but they were not allowing women to join that at the time I wanted to apply. I was discouraged from joining the Royal Military Police because of the female bullies that were present at the time. I left a year after Iraq because I wanted to pursue having a family at the time.

Why did you choose the branch you chose?

I love the excitement of working with vehicles and helicopters, which included many exciting experiences with other types of tracked vehicles and airframes, both in the Army, Navy and RAF. Also, I enjoyed working with other nations armies, including the Americans.

I missed the army, so when my son was 2 years old, I got back into the army again. This time I joined as a MPGS (Military Provost Guard), which is basically a home guard role running and manning a guard shift and gaining intelligence for the surrounding area, including investigating and working with QRF (Quick Reaction Force) for potential threats on base, both civilian and military. This was in 2007.

After this time, I left in 2009/2010 to have my second child, my daughter. My time in the military was cut short because they didn’t have the provision or support, that they do now to help provide structure for a working female solider and mother.

I have supported a lot of veteran charities and even been on stage in the West End in London doing theatre for PTSD awareness, acting and doing workshops, painting, dancing, and singing. All of this done whilst being a mother to my two children.

After my divorce, I rejoined the army reserves to gain some sense of identity back. The Royal Signals, and The Royal Armored Corps did not feel quite like home, so managed to find an Army Air Corps unit, but the distance is challenging.

How did your time in the service influence your current career goals?

I had attempted to join the civilian police and I have always been good with conflict and people, but ended up doing private security and undercover for mass crowd events for companies I cannot disclose. I worked alongside the security services and helped protect royalty and heads of state. (for example, our own Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, government officials, President Trump and his team at the 75th D-Day event in Portsmouth a few years ago).

How does EnerSys help you achieve those goals?

EnerSys helps me by challenging me and making me feel useful again. This opportunity has helped me already, feeling like a part of a team again. I am always looking for a work-life balance, but ultimately investing in myself will always produce my best working for the people that look after me.

Being self-employed gave me flexibility to be around the family and explore careers, but it did not give me not the job security. I have been doing contractor type work being self-employed doing film set work, acting, modelling, weapon safety on film sets. From that, I gained a lot of extra corporate skills including bid coordinator & bid manager, office management, transport logistics manager, project management, and truck driving, to name a few.

Now my children have left home, I wanted to get back to a full-time, permanent position where I felt a part of a proper team again, and EnerSys fits the bill.

Working in the army/reserves, I have always worked with various types of batteries: vehicle, military, and radio/avionics. I already knew of the product line, and I feel it put me in a good position from the start. I cannot say I thought I wanted to work in space, but the opportunity is now exciting. The thought of working for a company that cares about its people is one big thing that is important for me. I like to think we do a massive service to industries that make a real difference in the running of the world.

I have a taste for fast-paced and challenging work, and so far, I am loving my journey at EnerSys. I can honestly say I feel at home and welcome. My effort, time and interpersonal working connections with my colleagues makes me feel valued, which means a lot for me. Having people around you to see your potential as a person and nurture you to succeed, is humbling and heartwarming.