Our People

David Smith

21st March 2018

David joined the Royal Engineers as an Apprentice Fitter in Sep 81. After several postings, promotions and tours to Kenya and The Falkland Islands he attended a 2-year Clerk of Works (Mechanical) Course in 1991. On the successful completion of the course David was promoted to SSgt in 1993 and posted to 36 Engineer Regiment at Maidstone. After operational tours to Croatia/Bosnia and another 7 months in The Falkland Island he was posted to St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides as the Resident Engineer. Promotion to WO2 in 1999 brought another posting to a training role at the Royal School of Military Engineering, followed in 2001 to RAF Odiham as a WO1. A very interesting tour of Oman/UAE during the second Gulf War was the highlight of this period.

In 2004 David was commissioned as a Captain (Garrison Engineer) and posted to a Royal Engineer specialist works unit in Chilwell, Nottingham. After short tours to Cyprus and Afghanistan, David took the difficult decision to leave the Army and devote more time to his newly-born daughter Ella.

So in Dec 05 another career commenced in ‘civvy street’. Using the wide-ranging engineering and management skills 24 years in the Army had given David, he was offered a facilities management (FM) role via an ex-Army colleague. For the last 11 years he has worked his way up the FM career ladder in a variety of roles from the Deputy Estates and Property Manager at Gibraltar Barracks in Surrey with Babcock, to the FM Account Manager at Twickenham Rugby Stadium (handy for those Army v Navy matches!). David is currently the Deputy Head of FM with the defence company BAE Systems; a busy role based in Farnborough where he helps lead a £30M+ FM business across the UK.

David is living with his partner Teresa and daughter Ella in Farnham, Surrey. His hobbies include squash (Army colours were proudly received in 2002!), triathlon, running, cycling and reading (mainly sport and military history). This years’ challenge is a full Ironman, so he’s being kept very busy training!