The winners of the 2019 British Ex-Forces in Business Awards, the world’s largest celebration of military veterans in business, were revealed at a special ceremony in London and nearly £50k was raised and donated to military charities.
The landmark event gathered business leaders, veterans, top employers and current serving officers to promote the significant value that ex-military personnel add to the UK economy.
Camilla Howard (pictured centre), currently Operations Director, in the ESS Defence South West region won Young Leader of The Year, following on from her 11 years of service in the Royal Air Force.
The judges were impressed by Howard's ability to have carved out a buoyant commercial career at such a young age. She has transferred her military-gained leadership skills into building her teams to help them reach their individual potential and her military experience also ensures she excels under pressure.
Howard commented, “It was a fantastic evening to be amongst so many ex-military personnel and sit alongside ex-military peers from ESS and Compass Group who were also nominees in the Employer of the Year category. Everyone has to leave the military at some stage and it is always a bit daunting.
'I was very lucky to have found Compass Group UK&I just over three years ago and joined the Defence sector of ESS as an Operations Manager. It was a brilliant surprise to win this award and I love the fact that I am still in the ‘young leader’ category being (but only just!) the right side of 40!”
The British Ex-Forces in Business Awards celebrates the accomplishments of veterans across the UK workforce. The awards highlight the military skills and values that have enabled business success and recognise organisations that support the transition of servicemen and women into second careers.
The finalists were whittled down from over 400 nominations with the winners decided by a judging panel of military veterans headed up by Admiral Sir George Zambellas, former First Sea Lord and now chairman of several companies.
Mark Webster, Managing Director ESS Defence, Government Services, Offshore & Remote, added, “It’s great to see Camilla being recognised for her work with us at ESS, she has contributed greatly to our team. In line with our signature of the Armed Forces Covenant, we strongly believe in ensuring those who serve or have served our country, should get the treatment and recognition they deserve.
'We are immensely proud of the work we do across Compass, to provide opportunities for colleagues who are part of the armed forces community and we recognise what an asset they can be to our business.'
ESS Support Services Worldwide (ESS) has been a market leader in the Defence, Government Services, Offshore and Remote sectors for over 40 years with operations in a wide range of sites encompassing operational headquarters and training environments, providing catering and support services directly to the MOD in partnership with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, or in PFIs & PPPs.