Armed Forces Support.
Armed Forces Support.
A&P Group is proud of our long history of supporting the UK’s Armed Forces and the Royal Navy in particular.
A&P Group’s commitment to the armed forces lies at the heart of our business and everything we do.
As a company we recognise the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families contribute to our business, and the country as a whole.
Not only are we proud to serve the Ministry of Defence through our dedicated Defence Division, but also count a number of former service personnel as some of our most valued employees.
Armed Forces Covenant
A&P Group has also demonstrated our support for the Armed Forces community by signing up to the Armed Forces Covenant, which is a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly.
A&P Group’s commitment to the Armed Forces and its personnel, past and present, has also been recognised by the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) which encourages employers to support defence and inspire others to do the same.
A&P Group is the recipient of an ERS Silver Award.
Armed Forces Day 2023
In June 2023, A&P Falmouth was delighted to host Armed Forces Day 2023. A&P supported a number of initiatives across the weekend, including:
- The Armed Forces Community Conference at Falmouth University
- The Youth STEM Day at Princess Pavilion
- Hosting Type 23 Frigate HMS Richmond alongside for public and VIP tours.
Former Armed Forces Personnel at A&P Group.
A&P Group has a number of former service personnel within the management team from Project Managers / Engineers, HSE Director, HSE Advisors, Director of Defence and the Chief Executive Officer.
David McGinley.
David McGinley, Chief Executive Officer, Cammell Laird Shiprepairers and Shipbuilders, Atlantic and Peninsula Marine Services, has a proud record of serving his country in the Royal Navy for a quarter of a century.
David joined the Royal Navy in 1971 as a Junior Marine Engineering Mechanic, Class 2, having been inspired to join the military by the service of family members, although he was the first to join the Royal Navy.
During his 25 years’ service David served onboard HM Ships Tiger, Abdiel, Amazon, Middleton and York as well as spending time in the Falklands and the Middle East. He left the military in 1995 at the rank of Warrant Officer Marine Engineering (M).
Over the next 20 years David forged himself a successful career in business before arriving at A&P Group in 2017 and remains Chief Executive Officer of Cammell Laird Shiprepairers and Shipbuilders Ltd, Atlantic and Peninsular Marine Services Ltd.
David says the values instilled in him throughout his Naval service - commitment, self-discipline, teamwork, flexibility and openness - have hugely influenced his civilian career.
Kevin Peart.
A&P Group HSEQ Director Kevin Peart achieved his aspirations of learning a trade and travelling the world after fulfilling his lifelong ambition of joining the Army.
Kevin joined the Corps of the Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), which provides engineering support and is responsible for maintaining and repairing the Army’s equipment, in 1978.
He became the youngest Warrant Officer Class 1 REME Shipwright and served in the Falklands, Belize, Hong Kong, Germany, Poland, Bosnia and the Middle East.
He worked as Contract Naval Overseer in Hong Kong for two years and visited Belize 14 times as part of the overseas refit team for army vessels. Kevin left the army at the rank of Warrant Officer(ASM) Senior Shipwright. Kevin joined A&P in 2015 as he wanted to get back to the grass roots of ship repair and maintenance in a challenging, dynamic environment.
The communication skills and management training he developed in the Army proved a ‘great fit’ for his new career with A&P.
Kevin retains his forces links, being a life member of the REME Association and attending annual Army V Navy rugby matches which support many charities. His son is now also a Warrant Officer in the Army.
Matt Weetch.
When Matt Weetch, A&P’s Director of Defence, joined the Royal Navy in 1990 he was following in the footsteps of his grandfather who had served during WWII.
Matt signed up as a Weapons Engineering Mechanic, then progressed to be a Weapons Technicianbefore being commissioned into the Fleet Air Arm as an Aviation Support Officer.
He served on a number of vessels including the Leander Class Frigate HMS Sirius; Type 23 Frigates HMS Argyll and Montrose; Type 22 Frigates HMS Beaver and Sheffield; Type 42 Destroyer HMS Cardiff; CVS Aircraft Carrier HMS Illustrious and RFA Fort George.
He also served at Devonport, Portland and Portsmouth Dockyards as well as at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall. Matt left the Royal Navy in 2015 when he held the rank of Lieutenant RN.
Matt joined A&P in September 2019 following a period of secondment which saw him working as part of the UKCCATS team, supporting the Programme Engineering Team with the AO-Tide Class vessels.
According to Matt there are similarities between serving in the Navy and working at A&P. “The team ethos associated with A&P is very similar to that of the Royal Navy,” he says.
“People within A&P continually strive to work together as a team to provide excellence and support to both our commercial and defence customers.”
John Todd.
John Todd, who joined A&P North East as a Project Manager in 2018, is a Reservist after a 34 year career in the Royal Navy. John began his Naval career as an engineering apprentice in 1984 and left as a Warrant Officer 1 in 2018.
He followed his father into the Navy and after gaining a degree in electronic and mechanical engineering, John served on Leanders and Type 42 destroyers for most of his career as an Engineering Technician.
He joined HMS Darling, the first of the Class T45 destroyer, in 2009 to undertake sea trials and bring her into the Fleet and in 2012 he joined the Aircraft Carrier Alliance and delivered an effective ‘end to end’ maintenance management system for the Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers and also worked on many installation upgrade projects.
The skills John gained while in the Navy in both engineering and management have stood him in good stead for his civilian career with A&P.
Dave Nichols.
Dave Nichols, ILS and Procurement Manager within A&P’s Cluster Support Team, spent 38 years in the Royal Navy and is now a member of the Royal Naval Reserves.
Dave joined the Navy at just 16 as an engineering apprentice in 1980. He spent his career working on land at bases, including RNAS Culdrose, and on aircraft carriers at sea. The first ship Dave served on was HMS Illustrious and the final one was HMS Queen Elizabeth, the largest and most powerful vessel ever constructed for the Royal Navy.
Dave finally left the Navy early last year and began work at A&P Falmouth in December, where the skills learned during his long career are being put to good use. A&P are now happy to support Dave’s commitments as a Navy Reservist.
“I have the support of a great team here in Falmouth and am effectively still working for the MoD, albeit through the Cluster Support Team,” he said.
In a twist of fate, Dave served onboard RFA Argus for 3 years as ship’s company and the vessel is now it is one of the ships he helps support as part of the Cluster Support Team.
