Military to Civilian Award

Nomination: Ex Sub-Mariner at top of the sameday game
Tim Seagers, Managing director of Crown SDS
Nominated By: Katie Burke, Crown SDS

From the age of sixteen Tim Seagers – founder and owner of Crown SDS (Service Delivery Solutions) - dedicated seven years of his life to the Submarine Armed Forces Division. Throughout his loyal service, Tim had learned key military values, such as respect, loyalty and self-discipline, that have inspired and enhanced his business’ ethos and professional work ethic.

Transitioning into civilian life, Tim discovered his aptitude for logistics and time-pressure supply chain services. He began Crown Couriers in 1990, which later rebranded to the now-known Crown SDS (Service Delivery Solutions), building the company from one man, a van and a mobile phone - to a fleet of over 2,000 drivers and creating jobs for 87 loyal team members.

With the ex-forces being an important chapter of his life, Tim reflects on the challenges of transitioning from the military into a civilian career – such as the mental health stigmas around employing service leavers.

Tim has gone on to support ex-forces employability fairs such as the British Forces Resettlement Services’ Employment Fair, where his team were able to support ex-services personnel with advice and guidance on pursuing a career within the logistics industry.

In support of service leavers, Tim Seagers, through Crown SDS aims to challenge the stigmas that ex-military leavers encounter upon leaving the armed forces. And with a reported 50,000 unemployed ex-services personnel across the UK right now, Tim has spoken out about the mental health stigmas around employability for service leavers.

Key quotes:

· "The leading stigmas that service leavers encounter would be that mental health is being misunderstood by UK employers in relation to hiring ex-services personnel."

· “Many employers associate service leavers with mental health issues that prevent them from functioning within a civilian career. We want to challenge this."

· "Our mission is to ensure that those who have served in the armed forces are not disadvantaged because of their dedicated service."

Tim’s work ethic, his values and demonstrated adaptability have taken him from his decision to leave the forces, to starting and growing a nationwide logistics business which recently celebrated its 30th year, showing the versatility of ex-services personnel to excel in any role or sector.

Military Reserve Award

Private Sarah Robinson 158 Regt RLC Bedford

Collecting test swabs with selfless commitment.

Private Robinson joined the Sqn in Mar 2018 with the ambition to be a driver in the RLC. She joined the Sqn with a passion, which she has maintained throughout. She pressed forward and completed the Alpha Course in May and the Bravo course in Aug of this same year. Before settling into a more sustainable rhythm in 2019, balancing the demands of her military and civilian careers.

Private Robinson started 2020 with self-determination, preparing for and completing her Cat C licence acquisition in Feb.

The Nation was then subjected to the COVID-19 pandemic. Private Robinson volunteered for Op RESCRIPT, delivering COVID-19 resilience to Defence activity in the United Kingdom. Working with 7 Regt RLC our partnered regular Regt she deployed to several locations, on the front-line collecting swabs to test for COVID 19. Her bubbly personality making her extremely adapt to the role and reassuring the general public on the process. she should be commended for her role within Op RESCRIPT for her selfless commitment to others during a demanding period.

Notwithstanding she completed her class 3 course in Aug 2020 while deployed, becoming a trained soldier and a crucial part of our non-regular deployable component. Challenging herself further, she has started an alternative career path as a Commissioned Officer.

An exceptional individual, demonstrating the highest values and standards of the British Army and is a most worthy nomination for recognition by the Institute of Couriers.

Military Distinction Award

Awarded to two recipients in 2021.

Regular Army - Private Lee Moulton - 7 Regt RLC

Private Moulton delivered Basic Life Support at the scene of a road traffic accident and was the sole reason why the injured person did not die.

Regular Army Private Moulton served as driver to the commanding officer Royal Tank Regiment. His military distinction, national courier awards recognises when he delivered life support at the scene of a road traffic accident and was the sole reason why the injured person did not die.

He joined the British Army in March 2017, completed his Trade Training at the Defence School of Transport Leconfield and was then assigned to 1 Regiment Royal Logistics Corps.

Pte Moulton deployed on Ex WARRIORS CRAFT to Canada, a Battle Group level exercise. This saw him provide support to the Royal Tank Regiment through frequent resupplies of ammunition and also serve as the driver to the Commanding Officer of the Royal Tank Regiment and Officer Commanding Ajax Squadron.

Pte Moulton then deployed for a second time in 2018 on Ex MAYAN STORM, where he provided support to a Specialised Infantry Battalion in Belize. Here, Pte Moulton was part of a small team charged with the movement and resupply of infantry soldiers across multiple training areas in country. This required a great degree of skill and determination in both operating and maintaining his vehicle given much of the driving was off-road and at night, and made all the more challenging by Belize’s notoriously unpredictable tropical climate. Throughout, Pte Moulton was a bastion of composure and competence, always being in the right place, at the right time, with the right equipment, thereby enabling the infantry to operate at pace and confident in the driver support they could call upon.

In 2019, Pte Moulton was deployed on Ex TIMBER FIGHT and Ex TIMBER TRUSS, where he assisted in both the formative and summative assessed exercises for new RLC Troop Commanders.

Throughout 2020 and in addition to his main taskings, Pte Moulton further demonstrated his capacity and commitment to the British Army through his work at the Regiment’s gym, where he trained and assisted with the delivery of physical training as a potential Physical Training Instructor.

Pte Moulton was thereafter assigned to 9 Squadron, 7 Regiment RLC on 14 December 2020. Quickly completing his Oshkosh Driver & Maintainer and Bulk Fuel courses, he has also worked as a Transport Manger Assistant (TMA) at Squadron level, before he became the TMA for B Troop, which is his current role.

In recognition of his act of selflessness and exemplary conduct, Pte Moulton was awarded the Chief of the General Staff’s Commendation.

Regular Army - Major Donna Smit - Officer Commanding Defence Courier Service BFPO

Despite the impacts of COVID. Donna was motivated to make improvements, working tirelessly with customers and stakeholders.

The continued success of the Defence Courier Service during these turbulent times is directly linked to the leadership of Major Donna Smit. His team have and continue to operate in some of the most inhospitable regions to the most stringent performance targets Places that many of you will not even heard of, nor care or dare to visit. In recognition of his exemplary service HQ British Forces Post Office nominate him for an IoC National Courier award in the military category.

Major Donna Smit commands the only professional courier capability in Defence for the movement of Protectively Marked Materiel (PMM) within the UK and overseas in support of global operations. They support not only the military, but the police, GCHQ, other Government Departments, and other agencies people are less inclined to discuss. Today there are over 30 military operations ongoing around the globe; embassies and consulates continue to require support and DCS is perhaps busier now than at any other time. The service is a highly assured operation working to the most stringent security regulations and protocols. The consequences of failing are potentially extremely serious, therefore DCS work to a zero-error mandate: no mistakes, ever.

In his first year as Officer Commanding (OC), he has led with authority and purpose during a period of extreme complexity, challenge and uncertainty. Last year DCS couriered over 64,000 secret, or higher, items of which over 3,000 were to overseas locations, despite the impacts of COVID. Donna was motivated to make improvements, working tirelessly with customers and stakeholders to derive and refine the implementation of new business plans, customer supplier arrangements and the performance regime necessary to deliver considerable business efficiencies, never letting DCS rest on its laurels.

His tenacious and hard-working ethos, tackling every problem, however mundane, with equal determination has paid dividends in service provision. With a rapidly gained understanding of the nuances of the PMM environment, he networks intelligently, delegates sensibly and has an excellent eye for detail. BFPO has also benefited hugely from his abundance of soft skills; engaging with his team, listening to their concerns, rectifying what he could quickly and putting together solid action plans or engaging other agencies in order to get the best out of his team. He has also worked effectively with outside organisations to maintain the highest professional standards.