Women in the Armed Forces Community: Leading, Innovating, and Making an Impact
Created on 4 Mar 2025
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Updated on 2 Mar 2026
International Women’s Day is about recognising the women who are breaking barriers, building businesses, leading teams and accelerating progress across the Armed Forces community. Whether serving, transitioning, running businesses, balancing Reservist duties, or supporting family through postings and deployments, women are showing that leadership comes in many forms.
At Troopr, we’re here to connect the Armed Forces community with real opportunities, and that means celebrating the women who are making things happen!
This IWD 2026, we’re spotlighting female leaders, founders and award winners who are shaping industries and strengthening the veteran employment landscape across the UK.
Gillian Elson: Championing Veteran Pathways at Babcock
Babcock International Group continues to set the standard for Armed Forces inclusion — recognised at both the 2025 and 2026 Scottish Ex-Forces in Business Awards and named a joint Top Great British Employer of Veterans.
Gillian Elson has played a key role in strengthening veteran recruitment pathways and ensuring Armed Forces talent is recognised, valued and retained within the organisation.
Consecutive award success highlights what happens when inclusion isn’t just a statement — it’s embedded into culture, leadership and opportunity.
Georgie Symonds: Balancing Business and the Army Reserves
Georgie Symonds knows what it means to juggle multiple roles. As the Director and Founder of Nutwood House Consultancy, she provides HR and management expertise to organisations. But she’s not just a business leader – she’s also a part-time Army Reservist, commanding a port and maritime regiment with over 300 personnel.
Her role in the Army Reserves allows her to deliver training and provide logistical support for Defence operations worldwide. It’s a demanding balance, but Georgie wouldn’t have it any other way.
“As a female leader, it’s fundamental that I uphold exemplary values, look after and listen to my team,” Georgie says. “I try to be a servant leader because people are my key resource.”
Georgie has also seen firsthand the value of having a central platform for the Armed Forces community.
“Troopr is an incredible resource – one place where the Armed Forces community can access support, services, and opportunities,” she says. “If you need advice, why not Troopr it?”
Hatty Jackson: From Military Upbringing to Founder, Creating Solutions for the Forces Community
Growing up in a military family, Hatty Jackson experienced firsthand the unique challenges and opportunities that come with life in the Armed Forces. With a father in the British Army, constant relocations, new schools, and ever-changing environments were simply part of the routine. Adaptability wasn’t just a skill – it was a way of life.
That ability to navigate change shaped her career. After working in the startup world, Hatty noticed a glaring gap: the Armed Forces community had access to countless opportunities—jobs, housing, financial advice, and support – but they were scattered, difficult to find, and often hidden behind complex processes.
So, she built Troopr – a platform designed to bring everything together in one place, making life easier for service personnel, veterans, and their families.
“The opportunities are out there – but too often, they’re buried, scattered, or hard to access. With Troopr, we’re cutting through the noise and making it easy for the Armed Forces community to find the support, services, resources and opportunities they deserve.”
For Hatty, Troopr isn’t just a business – it’s a mission. A commitment to ensuring that no one in the Armed Forces community has to struggle to find the support and opportunities available to them.
Troopr accelerates gender equality by making sure women in the Forces community aren’t left behind when it comes to accessing life-changing opportunities.
Helen Massy: Creating Opportunity for Military Spouses
As a military spouse of over 20 years, Helen Massy has lived through the unpredictability of military life—frequent relocations, international moves, and balancing career ambitions with family responsibilities. When she left her NHS career due to military postings, she quickly realised there was no single place to access career support tailored to military spouses.
So she built one.
Helen founded Career Pursuit CIC, a platform designed to help military spouses, partners, and veterans access career and entrepreneurial support all in one place.
Celebrating Women at the 2026 Scottish Ex-Forces in Business Awards
The 2026 Scottish Ex-Forces in Business Awards once again highlighted the strength of female leadership within the Armed Forces community.
Among the inspiring women recognised were:
- Helen Shropshall (Mott MacDonald) – Winner, New Service Leaver of the Year
- Stephanie Grieve (Scullion LAW) – Winner, Military Values in Business Award
- Danielle Wood (Barclays) – Winner, Role Model of the Year
- Fiona Forrest-Anderson (Edinburgh Napier University) – Winner, Business Leader of the Year
These women represent different stages of the Forces journey — from transition to senior leadership — proving there is no single pathway to success.
The awards also spotlighted organisations where female leadership is driving systemic change across veteran employment.
This International Women’s Day, we’re not just celebrating individuals — we’re celebrating impact.
Women across the Armed Forces community are founding businesses, commanding regiments, leading universities, shaping law firms, influencing financial services, and strengthening defence engineering organisations.
They’re not waiting for change. They’re driving it.
And when one woman breaks down a barrier, she creates space for many more to follow.
At Troopr, we’ll keep amplifying those voices — and making sure the opportunities are easier to find.