Join the IoD in celebrating Armed Forces week
It’s Armed Forces week leading up to Armed Forces Day on 29 June, but what’s that got to do with the Institute of Directors you might ask?
The IoD has a long association with the Armed Forces. During World War Two, 116 Pall Mall was home to the United Service Club (USC) and after the war, many regular and citizen sailors, soldiers and aviators left the military to join business. Then like now, many had potential to become great assets to the UK economy, bringing a wide array of skills and experience to business activity across the country. Many joined large corporates, whilst others became budding entrepreneurs.
In 1978 when the IoD moved into 116 Pall, a condition of sale was that the building must retain the USC’s original fixtures and fittings. Most noticeable nowadays is the collection of military paintings in the Directors’ Lounge.
The IoD formally signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2018, committing to “Support the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces community…and recognise the value Serving Personnel, Regulars and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.”
With the success of businesses of all sizes relying on harnessing diverse talent from all sections of society, the IoD recognises this also includes members of the UK regular and reserve Armed Forces, military service leavers, veterans and those who partner with them. The IoD received the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (Gold) award in 2022.
With over 20,000 members the IoD is a thriving community of skilled directors and leaders and a place to share knowledge and develop professionally, as growing numbers of military service leavers and veterans are discovering annually.
You might not be aware that there are approximately two million military veterans in the UK, nearly 4% of the population. A not too dissimilar figure to many other minority communities. There’s possibly a veteran on your regional IoD committee, one working alongside you at your regional hub or even sitting at the table beside you in the Directors’ Lounge at 116 Pall Mall.
So please join us in celebrating Armed Forces week and our continued support to the wider UK Armed Forces community.
About the author
John is an accomplished Director, experienced across Defence, Transport, Logistics and Highways sectors at UK strategic and operational levels. His passion and purpose lie in leveraging knowledge, skills and expertise to help Boards, Programmes and Projects make better decisions towards a more sustainable future. A better future through the intelligent application of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) enablers. He pursues this as a portfolio career through D7 Advisers Ltd.
