Last night (19 November) the winners of the Women in Defence UK Awards were announced at a ceremony attended by guests from across the Defence enterprise. Air Marshal Sue Gray presented the awards at a ceremony at The Guildhall, London, to the winners of each of the 10 categories and an overall award for Woman of the Year. This year, in the awards’ fourth year, over 470 nominations were received from across the defence community including the Armed Forces, MOD Civil Service, GCHQ, MI5, defence industry and the defence third sector.
Women in Defence UK is a thriving community of women, men and individuals, who champion the direct impact and force multiplying effect women bring to the defence of the nation.
The 2019 winners
Woman of the Year 2019 Award – Sponsored by PA Consulting
Phillippa Spencer, Ministry of Defence, Defence Science & Technology Laboratory
Phillippa was nominated for over 17 years of service at DSTL, contributing to the defence and security of the UK. A polymath, she has applied mathematical and statistical thinking across a wide range of technical domains including cyber, artificial intelligence, data fusion, chemistry and biology. This year Phillippa was awarded a patent for her method of interrogating mixtures of nucleic acids by short tandem repeat analysis, complementing her other patents including for the pre-symptomatic diagnosis of sepsis.
Inspirational Award – Sponsored by Lockheed Martin
Surgeon Lieutenant Commander Ruth Guest, Royal Navy
Ruth was nominated for her pilot project REBALANCE, which aims to improve the flow of medical information of serving women on maternity leave between military and civilian providers. She identified that for many women, there were barriers to support-seeking, feelings of isolation and gaps in their knowledge of services available to them.
Outstanding Contribution Award – Sponsored by BAE Systems
Phillippa Spencer, Ministry of Defence, Defence Science & Technology Laboratory
Phillippa was nominated for over 17 years of service at DSTL, contributing to the defence and security of the UK. A polymath, she has applied mathematical and statistical thinking across a wide range of technical domains including cyber, artificial intelligence, data fusion, chemistry and biology. This year Phillippa was awarded a patent for her method of interrogating mixtures of nucleic acids by short tandem repeat analysis, complementing her other patents including for the pre-symptomatic diagnosis of sepsis.
Most Collaborative Award – Sponsored by KBR Aspire Defence
Wing Commander Toni-Jane Hoare, Royal Air Force
Toni-Jane was nominated for her work heading up the Programme Management Office of the 20 billion-pound UK Lightning programme. Her sphere of work is extensive, crossing Service, National and International boundaries, requiring an ability to pull together disparate stakeholders in an incredibly complex environment.
Special Award – Sponsored by the Royal Navy
Warrant Officer Class 2 Kay Howells, Army
Kay was nominated for her contribution to the Army as an exceptionally skilled, Explosive Ordnance Engineer and Ammunition Technician. Kay has overcome significant adversity, breaking her back early in her career. This made the operating in a 40kg bomb suit far more challenging.
Emerging Talent Award – Sponsored by the Army
April Wiles, BAE Systems
April was nominated for her remarkable achievements over the last two years at BAE Systems. She made a significant contribution to the design and build of the Challenger 2 tank ‘Black Night’ upgrade vehicle. In doing so, she has become an example for early career engineers of all genders of the qualities needed to excel in defence enterprise.
Innovation Award – Sponsored by QinetiQ
Anne Kenyon, Rolls Royce
Anne was nominated for her innovative approach to reactor physics at Rolls Royce. She displays strong leadership when making challenging decisions that significantly improve the company's engineering capability. Anne has developed and delivered a new experimental Physics Analytics Tool Suite, resulting in great efficiencies.
Unsung Heroines Award – Sponsored by Dell Technologies
Chief Technician Paula Cil, Royal Air Force
Paula was nominated for her commitment and outstanding contribution to her job as a PUMA engineer, and for the extensive support she provides to the RAF Benson community, and young people across the country.
Promotion of Gender Balance Award - Sponsored by ATOS
Jeanette Pope, BAE Systems
Jeanette was nominated for her passionate commitment to improving gender equality at BAE Systems, and in the wider aerospace industry. Driven by a desire for equity, and personal frustrations with the cultural status quo, she established the BAE Systems Inspiring Women Network in 2017. Her endeavour contributed to a 2.4% increase in the number of women working for BAE Systems between 2015 and 2018.
Inclusive Teamwork Award Sponsored by the Royal Air Force
Eu Exit Virtual Team, Ministry of Defence
The team was nominated for the collaborative, dedicated and passionate approach to preparing for EU Exit, by over fifty members (female and male, Civilian and Military) across more than six groups. With leadership shown at every level, together they delivered the MOD’s EU Exit No Deal preparation and supported Other Government Departments.
STEM in Defence Award – Sponsored by Northrop Grumman
STARRSHIP, Royal Air Force, Rolls Royce, Royal Air Forces Association
STARRSHIP – an RAF, Rolls-Royce, Royal Air Forces Association charity and STEM collaboration, was nominated for their creative and inclusive approach in inspiring the next generation of girls and boys to believe they can succeed in STEM, building on the enthusiasm generated by the RAF’s centenary.
Angela Owen, founder of Women in Defence UK says: “Yet again, we’ve been blown away by the inspiring achievements and courage of the finalists and winners. These are truly exceptional people, who deserve to be celebrated. They exemplify our watchwords for the year ‘Deeds not Words’, as rather than comment or complain, they actively work to make defence a better place for all.”
The judges who selected the shortlist, finalists and winners were:
Sqn Ldr Alison McLean, Personnel Officer, The Royal Air Force
Alison Stevenson, Director Overseas Bases, Joint Forces Command Ministry of Defence
Fiona Lewinton, Business Integration Director, QinetiQ
WO1 Gavin Paton, Army Sergeant Major, The Army
Sqn Ldr Joan Ochuodho Media Officer, Royal Air Force
Joanna Cavan OBE, GCHQ
Lois Nicholson, Counsellor Defence Acquisition and Technology, British Embassy, Washington DC, USA
Wg Cdr Lisa D’Oliveira – New Zealand High Commission
Lynda McVay - Skills and Capability Director, Leonardo
Morag Stuart – Director of Commercial Improvement Defence Equipment and Support
Cdr Rachel Smallwood – Training Policy Royal Navy
WO2 Sarah Cotman – 22 Group Command Warrant Officer, The Royal Air Force
Col Lucy Giles, President, The Army Officers Selection Board
Paul Livingston, Vice President and Group Managing Director, Lockheed Martin UK – Rotary & Mission Systems
Michelle Partington – Founder Mentis
WO1 Sarah Cox, Regimental Sergeant Major, Recruiting and Initial Training Command Staff Leadership School
Lieutenant General Richard Nugee CVO CBE – Chief of Defence People
Kevin Craven – Chief Executive Officer Serco UK and Europe
Peter Smart – Chair of the Judging Panel – Chairman of Affinity Flying Services
Ann Francke – Chief Executive Officer of the Chartered Management Institute
Mel Waters – Chief Executive Officer, Help for Heroes
Claire Logan – Global Head of People and Talent – PA Consulting