Sven's Northwood, Sodexo Manager and Army Reservist

There are currently around 35,000 Volunteer Reservists in the UK from all backgrounds, regions and jobs; they are ordinary men and women who give up their time to train and serve alongside the Regular Armed Forces. Sodexo is committed to supporting every one of our employees who also serve in the Reserve Forces; an initiative that is being led by the team from Sodexo Defence.

Sven Northwood was a soldier and chef with the Royal Logistics Corps (RLC) for over 23 years and has been with Sodexo since April 2013, as a chef and now a Catering Manager at Munster Barracks, where he oversees seven messes.

Sven is also a part time Reservist with 102 Battalion, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) Reservists, alongside Robert Newing and Edwin Adams, who also work for Sodexo. 102 Battalion, REME known as the ‘Northern Craftsmen', are the Army Reserve's professional engineers in the North of England and Scotland, providing reserve soldiers and officers to train for, and deploy on, military operations.

How does Sodexo support you as a Reservist?

"I feel greatly supported as a Reservist; the communication and understanding between the battalion and Sodexo is fantastic, which really helps. Sandra Holder, Services Manager at Munster Barracks is kept informed of any activities that I will be undertaking well in advance and then I am released to go on and do reservist duties.

Everyone in the team is really supportive and a lot of the activities that I undertake complement my life with Sodexo; recently I went to the resettlement office and was interviewed on my experience of leaving the Army, working for Sodexo and on being a Reservist as there can be some negativity around this and I was keen to give a really positive picture."

What sorts of activities as a Reservist have you recently undertaken?

"As part of 102 Battalion, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) Reservists I was asked to attend the ABF, The Soldiers’ Charity Big Curry Cook Off with two other Sodexo employees and fellow Reservists, Edwin Adams and Kelvin Whear. We did really well in the competition, which also raised a lot of interest in Sodexo and Reservists; it was close, but we won!

Last year we had over 450 cadets from the North East, who attended an event where we were able to educate them on healthy eating, nutrition and the importance of a balanced diet. This was great, as not only did we get congratulated by the commandant but we had a real sense of achievement in being able to give something back to the community and helping others."

What advice would you give to others who are thinking of joining the Reservists?

"If both jobs complement each other, then you can add lots of value, especially if you work for such a flexible, understanding company like Sodexo. With the Reserves there are lots of positives and scope to keep you motivated and flexibility.

You need to be open and honest with your employer and give as much notice as possible of upcoming commitments, and then it will really work well for both parties. There are also lots of opportunities to show how Reservists can have a positive impact on an organisation and how experience and ideas can come to be shared, which is really important."