Lunch Meeting

Air Commodore Polly Perkins CBE MA FCMI FCILT RAF

Regional Air Officer Southwest England

Air Commodore Perkins was educated in Lincolnshire and joined the Royal Air Force in 1989 as a direct entrant supply officer at the age of 18.  She has an MA in Defence Studies from King’s College, London and is an alumnus of the Royal College of Defence Studies.

She has undertaken a number of command appointments including Tactical Supply Wing, under Joint Helicopter Command, during which she deployed as Commander Joint Helicopter Force (Kenya). She was Head of Establishment at RAF Brize Norton and, after promotion to Air Commodore, her last command was Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff British Forces Cyprus for which she was awarded a CBE. As well as working in Africa and Cyprus she has been stationed at the NATO Headquarters in the USA as well as undertaken operational deployments include Op AGRICOLA to Kosovo with 7th Armoured Brigade and Op NORTHERN WATCH in Turkey. Promoted to Group Captain in Oct 2012, she also completed 2 tours of Afghanistan the latter as Deputy Commander Joint Force Support which planned and executed the drawdown of Afghanistan and Camp Bastion.

Having spent 2 years as CEO and Principal of Brockenhurst College she rejoined the RAF as Regional Air Officer Southwest.

When she does have spare time, she shares this between properties in Cornwall and Cyprus and enjoys developing property and most sports that involve being outdoors.

During her 20 minute talk she will give a resume of her career highlights, compare and contrast her leadership lessons between military and civilian roles and give a brief look forward to the Defence response to an increasingly contested and volatile world.