From Army officer to project professional, via Chartered Manager status

That experience would turn out to be incredibly valuable. 

“It certainly made sure I didn't fall into hubris or arrogance later in my career,” he adds.

From BAE Systems to Sandhurst

Nick is the son of two Army medical officers. He left BAE Systems in 2011 to scratch an itch he’d always had: to enrol at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for officer training. He was then commissioned into the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (“the Kwik Fit and AA of the Army”, as he puts it).

There, the management challenge only grew more intense. Nick eventually found himself leading a REME workshop of more than 50 tradespeople, providing technical support for the regiment of over 500 people,maintaining their 200+ vehicles, hundreds of weapon systems and millions of pounds’ worth of equipment.

He recalls being stationed in the Mojave desert in California, providing engineering support to  the Royal Marines and US Marine Corps as they undertook a huge exercise with Apache attack helicopters. It was gruelling work: from the impact of dust and debris on the choppers’ rotor blades, to the intense heat endured by his team through 12-hour shifts. Plus, the pressure from the flying contingent to get their training hours in. 

“A lot of the pilots were very gung-ho,” he says. “They were flying helicopters bristling with missiles and massive machine guns. You can't just stroll in and expect to command the situation.”

Nick’s leadership hinged on using his experienced senior engineers to share feedback from the team, understanding the strain they faced, and articulating that back to the commanding officer in language he was used to. Terms like “catastrophic impact” and “undisturbed rest” did the trick.