Dean Fennell-Connell Wins British Ex-Forces in Business Award for Young Leader of the Year
Finalists for the 2020 British Ex-Forces in Business Awards, the world’s largest celebration of military veterans in second careers, were celebrated in a glittering awards ceremony in London on June 23rd.
The Ex-Forces in Business Awards is the world’s largest celebration of military veterans in second careers. The prestigious awards programme recognises the achievements of ex-military forces personnel who are now excelling in their business careers.
The awards provide a platform for showcasing business achievements of ex-military members, and recognising employers that support current and former members of the British Armed Forces. The thousands of servicemen and women who leave the Armed Forces each year create a rich pool of talent for employers, underpinned by skills and values that easily transfer into a wide spectrum of roles.
Fennell-Connell was selected from a record-breaking pool of 500 deserving nominees. He impressed the judges for rising quickly in his business career to become a sales director. His achievements have shown he is able to lead from the front and make things happen. Dean has held a number of different roles since leaving the service – excelling in them and being promoted with additional responsibilities over the course of a short period of time. He has consistently performed well in the challenging sales world, which can often seem alien to ex-military personnel, making him a great role model for what those who leave military service can achieve.
The 20 winners from this year’s event offer a huge breadth of talent, as business leaders from organizations that include Conduent, Jaguar Land Rover, Morgan Stanley, Dell, Lloyds Banking Group, Serco, Stagecoach, Thales and Knight Frank.
Since 2018, the Ex-Forces in Business Awards has become a crucial initiative for promoting a positive U.K. narrative about veterans as great assets to employers across all sectors. The programme has increased the visibility of business role models after they leave military service.
Over 15,000 people leave the armed forces each year in the U.K. They offer skills and expertise to enhance non-military organisations. However, with only 18% of former military personnel saying it is easy to find the right organisation to meet their needs, it is clear more needs to be done. Conduent appreciates the military-gained attributes that help enable post-service success among employees such as Fennell-Connell. That’s why Conduent continues to support this ongoing initiative and awards programme.
The annual Ex-Forces awards showcase the second-career achievements of nearly 300 veterans and reservists at ceremonies in London and Glasgow, Scotland. Last year’s event was attended by more than 1,400 business leaders from over 450 employers.