Judges Panel 2016

Sara Baade

Sara Baade, Chief Executive, Army Families Federation. Sara has a strong background in management and strategic policy, specialising in vocational skills growth and development. She has for the last five years worked as a senior civil servant for the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) working across a range of policy areas with a focus on apprenticeship growth. Prior to this she held a Director position at UK Skills, a charity which promotes vocational skills. She also has substantial experience in investment banking following 5 years at Goldman and Sachs investment banking division. Sara has 5 year old twins and lives in London. Her late husband was Matthew Wall who served with the 9/12th Royal Lancers.

Michael Brash

Michael Brash is the current Editor of Pathfinder and has been involved with the publication almost from its inception in 1991. He has spent that time championing the excellence of Service Leavers to employers and the wider public and has driven Pathfinder to become the foremost source of resettlement information in print, online and via social media. Whether he be challenging politicians on Twitter or banging on the doors of large corporate organisations, Michael’s commitment to the providing those leaving the Army, Navy and RAF with the very best information and the latest news is unwavering.

Rob Cromey- Hawke

Rob Cromey-Hawke,
Project Manager and Leadership Development Consultant, Deloitte UK. A wounded ex-serviceman, having served 12 years as both a soldier and a commissioned officer in the British Army, Rob was medically retired as a result of sustaining a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), back and spinal cord injuries, and hearing loss in a blast in Afghanistan in December 2012. He has used sport to promote his recovery with significant success, winning 5 gold medals at the 2015 Warrior Games and captain of the British Armed Forces team, winning 2 gold medals at the inaugural Invictus Games in London in 2014 and completing the IronmanUK triathlon in Bolton twice. His success during his transition from the Armed Forces has also been recognised by winning the Nationwide Resettlement Awards 2015 for “Excellence Demonstrated in the Face of Adversity During the Resettlement Process” and “Service Leaver of the Year”.

Colonel Andy Deans MBE

Colonel Andy Deans MBE, Andy commissioned in the Army in 1990 and his career has been focused on training, education and leadership development. He has had jobs in delivery, design and policy throughout the Army and Defence. He has deployed on operations in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Afghanistan. During his career he has completed two Masters in Educational Technology and Defence Studies. He started his current job as Assistant Head of Through Life Development in the Ministry of Defence in September 15 and a major responsibility is ensuring the revised Career Transition Partnership (CTP) delivers a quality service to Defence personnel. This service provides bespoke transition planning and support to each of the 17,000 personnel that progress from military to civilian life each year.

Stephen Ford

Stephen Ford, Citizenship Manager (Military), Nationwide Building Society.
After completing 23 years in the British Army (47 Air Despatch Sqn RLC) Steve successfully applied for the post of Citizenship Manager, specialising in the Military, with Nationwide Building Society. Despite having been in the role for only four months he says he genuinely feels part of the team. He attributes this, in part, to the Veterans and Reservist Community network group within Nationwide which has provided that all-important common ground. He is acutely aware of the fact that Nationwide employed him because of his transferrable skills – they understood that as a military leaver he could use his background to drive projects forward while the organisation helped him learn about his new environment.

Ray Lock CBE

Ray Lock CBE, Chief Executive of the Forces In Mind Trust.
Ray is a retired Royal Air Force pilot and commander, whose extensive operational career included flying Tornado, Hawk and Hercules aircraft. He commanded Royal Air Force Lyneham and the Joint Services Command and Staff College, as well as operational detachments in Kuwait, Iraq and Qatar. Ray spent many years in Germany, 5 years at the Defence Academy, and a series of ground-based deployed and staff appointments in multi-national and tri-Service environments. A former chairman of Combined Services Rugby Union, Ray continues to referee through his local Society in Gloucestershire. He joined the Forces in Mind Trust as Chief Executive in December 2012 on his retirement from the Royal Air Force as an air vice-marshal.

Liz Stevens

Liz Stevens, Head of Employment Services and Marketing, The Officers' Association: Liz leads the Employment Department at the Officers' Association (OA) and is responsible for developing and implementing the organisation’s employment strategy out to 2023. This includes developing its regional presence across the UK and introducing new services for both job seekers and employers as well as realigning existing services into three distinct areas: OA Appointments, OA Connect and OA Insight. She also has responsibility for marketing across the OA. She joined the OA in November 2013 having had a career in the Royal Navy as a Logistics Officer which included time at sea in HMS Brilliant and HMS Endurance; subsequently setting up her own online business before working as a change management consultant in the charity sector.

John Stokoe CB CBE

John Stokoe CB CBE, Head of Strategy Development, Dassault Systemes (EuroNorth). John is a former Major General in the British Army. Since leaving the Army in 1999, he has gained considerable commercial experience in the construction, infrastructure services and IT sectors, operating at both business unit and Board level. He currently leads strategic business transformation in a global science and technology company and chairs companies in the Construction and Voluntary sectors. He is an experienced non executive director of NHS Foundation Trusts, and is the Chairman and a Trustee of the Defence Medical Welfare Service. He also advises organisations on leadership in business, business transformation and senior client relationship management, as well as writing and speaking extensively on those subjects. In March 2016 he was appointed as the construction strategy adviser to the Board of the Lean Construction Institute of Australasia.

Jennifer Stone

Jennifer Stone, People's Judge. Jennifer Stone has been appointed as the 'People's Judge' on The Nationwide Resettlement Awards judging panel. Jennifer joined the Army aged 16, it being all she ever wanted to do. Initially she went to Welbeck College, then onto Sandhurst at 18 years old. After a full and interesting career serving with the RLC and the AGC(ETS) for 14 years, Jennifer left the Forces and initially spent 18 months as a programme manger for a charity. She now works as an Associate Tutor at Edge Hill University, training teachers, and for The College for Military Veterans and Emergency Services, helping veterans and their families. Since leaving the Forces has helped many through the transition process including Wounded Injured Sick (WIS), Early Service Leavers and those who have served full careers.

Debbie Whittingham

Debbie Whittingham, Director of Operations for Cobseo. Debbie served 31 years in the Royal Navy in a variety of appointments achieving the rank of Commander before retiring at the beginning of 2012, to undertake the position of Director of Operations at Cobseo. Her main responsibilities are to execute the decisions of the Cobseo Executive, whilst managing the day-to-day running of Cobseo to meet the Confederation’s purposes as the overarching organisation for the Service Charities.

YOU!

It could have been YOU!
We invited applications from Service Leavers to join the judging panel for the Nationwide Resettlement Awards 2016. To join the judges you must have firsthand experience of the resettlement process having made the transition personally from serving in the Armed Forces to civilian life. Jennifer Stone (see above) was appointed to the judging panel for the 2016 awards. The process has already begun to find a people's judge for The BSI Resettlement Awards 2017.
CLICK HERE for more details.

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