FROM ARMOURER TO GROUP SERVICE MANAGER: EMMA’S STORY
Prior to joining Tesco as Group Service Manager, Emma Martin-Law had a varied career within the Armed Forces - including serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Emma followed in her dad's footsteps and joined the British Army in 1998: “I had always had a love of engineering and a curiosity of how things worked from an early age, so I decided the Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) was the place for me and I was right! My engineering discipline was Weapon Systems (Armourer) which involved repairing and servicing everything from 9mm Pistols to 155mm artillery systems (AS90), and on occasions test firing which was definitely the fun part.”
Emma deployed to Iraq for Op Telic 1 in March 2003 and said it was an experience that gave her ‘new-found’ confidence: “With the threat of weapons of mass destruction hanging over us and daily updates about injured troops, it was a nervous time for everyone. I realised that I was more robust than I had thought, both physically and mentally which gave me a new-found confidence that has served me well through my career.”
It became clear at an early stage that as well as enjoying all things engineering, Emma had a passion for Leadership and Management. After several years of promotions, she was nominated to attend a selection course which would accelerate her career: “I passed and went on to complete a 2 year course where I gained an HND in Mechanical Engineering Technology, and was awarded my final rank of Artificer Weapons, something that I am extremely proud of.”
On Emma’s 34th birthday, she flew to Afghanistan on Op Herrick 17, which was her last deployment before leaving the Army: “I was responsible for running an engineering workshop with 50+ Engineers, a mix of British Military and LECs (locally employed civilians). The work was extremely dynamic, fast paced and very demanding but I had an excellent team that consistently achieved great results.”