Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

Nicola Patricia Moffat, (born 1962) was the highest-ranking woman in the British Army from 2009 until her resignation in 2012. She is now a leadership consultant and speaker.

Life

Moffat graduated in 1985 with a B.A. in Hispanic Studies from the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

, though has said that she "almost got booted out" for neglecting her studies in favour of the Officers' Training Corps' activities. In 1995 she gained an MA in Military Studies, Defence from

Cranfield University , mottoeng = After clouds light , established = 1946 - College of Aeronautics 1969 - Cranfield Institute of Technology (gained university status by royal charter) 1993 - Cranfield University (adopted current name) , type = Public research uni ...

. She joined the then Women's Royal Army Corps after university, and stayed in the army 26 years, including a spell as military private secretary to Geoff Hoon while he was Minister of Defence. Her final posting before resigning was as Armed Forces head of pay and strategic manning at the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

. She took voluntary redundancy in 2012, saying "After a long and rewarding career, I am looking forward to new challenges, utilizing the wealth of experience the military has afforded me." Her resignation caused some surprise, as six months earlier she had given an interview enthusing about the army as a career for women. She has founded the What Good Leadership Looks Like consultancy, and appears as a speaker on awards panels.

Recognition

Moffat was appointed

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the

2012 New Year Honours 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, cited as "Late Adjutant General's Corps (Staff and Personnel Support Branch)". She was selected as one of the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

's 100 Women in 2014, cited as "Highest Ranked woman in British Armed Forces".

References

1962 births Living people Women in the British Army Women's Royal Army Corps officers Adjutant General's Corps officers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of the University of Liverpool Alumni of Cranfield University 20th-century British Army personnel 21st-century British Army personnel BBC 100 Women British Army brigadiers {{UK-army-bio-stub