How would you describe yourself in three words?
Adaptable - Experienced - Mum
One of the best things about being an officer in the Royal Air Force is the variety of opportunities and challenges you are faced with. To thrive in such an environment it is necessary to be adaptable and flexible.
I like working in a team and am happy to fit into whatever role is required to ensure success. Sometimes that means taking the lead but other times, it means supporting others or using my experience to guide and mentor colleagues. I am able to adapt quickly to new working environments and different cultures. The last few months the Coronavirus crisis has really tested us all and I have been thankful that my career has helped me to cope with uncertainty and to adapt to a new way of working, living and homeschooling!
Having served in the military for over 20 years I have lived and worked in so many interesting and different locations. I have significant operational experience having served in Kosovo, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar and the Falkland Islands, but have also worked in our UK Military procurement system, commanded a specialist Trails and Evaluation Unit and instructed at the UK Command and Staff College. I have also spent 2 years as an Exchange Officer in the USA and attended the German Staff Officers Course in Hamburg. This breadth of experience helps me to bring a wider perspective and challenge some of the accepted norms.
Being a Mum is definitely the hardest job I’ve done – but undoubtedly the most rewarding. I have two wonderful children who make me proud every day. They are resilient and open-minded; they enjoy travelling and meeting new people, all of which I put down to them being brought up in a military family. I love being a military officer, a logistics professional and having a career; but as a working Mum I have to try to balance work and family life. Coronavirus has, undoubtedly, made this even harder. Since the schools shut in March 2020 I have had the new challenge of homeschooling. I have tried to focus on the positives and enjoyed the extra time this has given me with the children and I have been thankful for the support from my command chain enabling me to work from home.