Top 50 Employers of Veterans 2024 revealed
Image courtesy Ex-Forces in Business
The top 50 employers of veterans in the UK have been revealed and celebrated by the prestigious Great British Employers of Veterans programme, a comprehensive guide to the leading companies supporting the Armed Forces community,
Enriched by the experience of serving their country and equipped with skills and values that employers in other sectors crave, the 15,000-plus people who leave the British Armed Forces each year form a unique and highly capable talent pool. However, an awareness gap and a lack of visible role models have presented barriers to service leavers hitting the ground running, while depriving companies of a superb way to fill their skills gaps.
High-profile initiatives to promote the veteran talent pool in recent years, such as the Ex-Forces in Business Awards, have improved how employers perceive ex-forces candidates, helping to replace the media-led ‘mad, bad or sad’ narrative with a more accurate portrayal of veterans and the exceptional value they offer after their service.
Such efforts have encouraged many more employers to embrace talent from the Armed Forces community. Yet while the significant growth in dedicated UK employment programmes and pathways for the Armed Forces community is hugely welcomed, it can be challenging and confusing to identify, navigate and access the opportunities available.
This is what inspired the formation of the Great British Employers of Veterans programme, first launched last year by the organisers of the Ex-Forces in Business Awards, to provide a comprehensive guide to the leading companies in which military veterans and other members of the Armed Forces family can build a meaningful career.
The inaugural book proved hugely popular with thousands of downloads and after feedback highlighted a strong interest in a definitive listing of the very best Forces Friendly organisations, for the 2024 programme a Judging Panel of 20 successful veterans in business was compiled to assess the entries and rank the top 50 employers.
The book is not only a valuable resource for veterans seeking their next career move but also employers looking to benchmark their own offerings to the Armed Forces community.
The book is being launched today at the MilFest 2024 conference in London, with physical copies being distributed to attendees. A digital copy of the book, meanwhile, will be available for free digital download tomorrow through this link.
50 GREAT British Employers of Veterans 2024
1st. Amazon
2nd. BAE Systems
3rd. Babcock International
Joint 4th. Centrica
Joint 4th. Balfour Beatty
Joint 4th. Inzpire
7th. Mitie
8th. Mott MacDonald
9th. Pertemps
10th. Leidos UK
11th. AtkinsRéalis
12th. Veolia UK
Joint 13th. FDM Group
Joint 13th. Lloyd’s of London
15th. Roke
16th. Airbus
17th. Sodexo
18th. BNY Mellon
Joint 19th. Microsoft
Joint 19th. Siemens Mobility
21st. Sunbelt Rentals
22nd. Leonardo
23rd. Northrop Grumman
24th. Carbon60
25th. Capgemini
26th. QA
27th. MBDA
28th. Landmarc Support Services
Joint 29th. Laing O’Rourke
Joint 29th. Wincanton
Joint 31st. SUEZ
Joint 31st. Vodafone UK
33rd. GXO Logistics
34th. Travis Perkins
35th. Mabway
36th. GE Aerospace
37th. Galliford Try
38th. Mears Group
39th. Fujitsu
40th. Rider, Levett and Bucknall
41st. NHS Employers
42nd. Kuehne+Nagel
43rd. tlmNexus
44th. SA Group
45th. NHS Scotland
46th. Joint Security Services / JBS London
47th. Expleo
48th. SSGC Security
49th. Northern Trust
50th. Digital Realty
Chris Parker MBE, British Army veteran, Director at Fortinet UK and judge for the GREAT British Employers of Veterans programme, said: "The GREAT British Employers of Veterans programme is a wonderful way to recognise and thank the leading organisations who support members of the Armed Forces community working in the UK.”
Ben Rossi, founder of the Ex-Forces in Business Awards and the GREAT British Employers of Veterans programme, said: “The UK is one of the global leaders when it comes to offering dedicated pathways, programmes and other opportunities for veterans and the wider Armed Forces family seeking a high-value career. But navigating this landscape, understanding exactly what companies offer to the Armed Forces community and deciphering what is the right direction for you can be complicated and confusing.
“The GREAT British Employers of Veterans cuts through the noise by producing a simple but comprehensive guide to the companies when members of the Armed Forces community are valued and really thrive. The top 50 employers listed in this year’s book are really the cream of the crop when it comes to Forces Friendly employers in the UK and they thoroughly deserve this recognition for what they do for the Armed Forces community.”
One of the companies in the top 50 employers of veterans in the UK, Roke, has a long history of supporting veterans and is a recipient of the highest level of accreditation in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Award programme for its commitment to supporting the armed forces community. Roke Managing Director, Paul MacGregor, said: "Roke is proud of our long history of supporting the UK Armed Forces and its allies, going back to our founding in 1956. Today we count many veterans within our team, whose experience, work ethic, teamwork and determination is the backbone of many parts of our growing business. We are thrilled to have been awarded 15th place in the Top Employers of Veterans in the UK 2024 and look forward to welcoming many more veterans to our team.”
Also recognised was AtkinsRéalis, which employs 240 veterans across the UK and has onboarded 80 in the past year alone. Alistair Roxburgh, AtkinsRéalis Principal Consultant and Armed Forces Champion, said: “Through their years of experience, veterans offer unique and valuable skills which can benefit private sector organisations such as AtkinsRéalis, which has a longstanding involvement in the defence sector.
“Over the past decade we have funded and resourced a dedicated programme which engages and supports veterans to help transition them to the next stage of their career. We conduct extensive outreach with military resettlement organisations and organise events, with our recruitment processes evaluating veteran candidates’ non-traditional experiences with open minds, treating their job applications with fairness and understanding.”
Examples of AtkinsRéalis benefits for veterans include learning credits for resettlement and granting reservists an additional 10 days of paid annual leave, ensuring they can meet their minimum training commitment.
Alistair said: “As a Forces-friendly company, we have active internal forums and senior leadership openly value this deep talent pool. Being named a top employer of veterans in the UK reflects our efforts to embrace this community and help them explore new opportunities. We encourage any interested veterans to seek out careers on our website.”
