No other job in the world can give you experiences like these...

When Gary Pickett became one of the last young men to join the Army at the age of 15, little did he know that many years later his career would lead him into a life of serving the Services himself.

After completing 20 years service with the Army Catering Corps, which included spending time in the UK, Northern Ireland, Germany, Canada and a tour of Cyprus, Gary decided the time was right for him to leave the military and return to civilian life.

Gary began a career with retail giant Tesco in 1992, starting out as a night team manager and quickly progressed through the ranks, helping to open a new store in Aldershot and becoming Store Manager of his very own Tesco Express store in High Wycombe in 2002.

The retail experience Gary picked up during his time with Tesco played a large role in his decision to take on the challenge of a career with NAAFI (Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes) in June 2003. His mixture of military experience and retail expertise made him the perfect candidate for a role as EFI Officer Commanding in Iraq, based at Um Quasr on the Iraq/Kuwait border – quite a departure from his Tesco store in High Wycombe!

Gary’s new role brought with it a whole new set of challenges, but also the opportunity to put his stamp on the role and the power to make high level decisions. With overall responsibility for all retail and leisure facilities in Iraq, he quickly found himself travelling extensively from location to location, visiting Kuwait on a weekly basis to pick up new stock and checking facilities along the way. Although these journeys were part of Gary’s day-to-day life with NAAFI, these travels were not without their dangers.

“One morning there was a warning put out of reported incidents where Iraqis were setting up road blocks to rob passers by”, recalls Gary. “This normally happened at dusk when the light was fading, making it harder to detect them until it was too late. We were also warned of any military roadblocks in the area, so we always knew what to expect and where to expect it. Driving along we came across a military roadblock which we had not been properly informed of, and from a distance my first thoughts were that this was one of the Iraqi roadblocks.”

“All four of us got out of the vehicles, with my three colleagues providing cover while I went to have a closer look at what was going on. Meanwhile, soldiers at the other side of the military roadblock thought we looked like approaching terrorists from a distance, as we were in civilian vehicles and in low light all they could make out was a silhouette of someone heading towards them with a rifle. So we had them in our sights and they had us in theirs. As I neared I could hear one of them calling out “halt, who goes there” and luckily I was able to respond! A little later on, the troop commander told me that had I taken another couple of steps forward he would have given the order to open fire - a lucky escape for all of us!”
 
After also completing a tour of duty in Afghanistan, Gary was promoted to his current position as Country Manager in Brunei, a role which is very different to his previous EFI experiences. “Life in Brunei is far more peaceful than living and working in a war zone, as you might expect, but this role brings with it a whole new set of challenges,” explains Gary.

“The first real difference is that 80 percent of my customers in Brunei are non Brits, so in the beginning I had to learn lots about a variety of new cultures and customs very quickly. I am currently the only Brit working for NAAFI in Brunei and I work with five different nationalities – Malaysian, Bruneian, Filipino, Indonesian and Chinese – so as you can imagine, team meetings can be a bit of a challenge! We do need to get the translators in at times, but we’re a fantastic team.”

Working with different nationalities adds to the variety of Gary’s role, as he often finds himself dealing with the immigration department, local labour departments and the British High Commission when employing new colleagues. When it comes to sourcing the goods needed to stock his retail outlets, he can often be found trading with suppliers based in Australia, Malaysia and Singapore. “As Brunei is a dry state, I do tend to find that alcohol is a top seller in my outlets, as I’m the only person in the country who is allowed to sell beer. I’d say magazines are our second best seller though, giving those on base something to read and catch up on the latest news during their NAAFI Break.”

The Brunei operation is also quite different to other NAAFI outlets, as the main family store is open to the general public and is a real hub of local community life. “In addition to the family store, I also run a number of other outlets including a Gurkha Junior Ranks bar, a British Junior Ranks club, bulk issue store and the only NAAFI Chinese restaurant in the world – a concept I helped to deliver in an attempt to better cater for the needs of the Gurkhas based here. NAAFI is all about bringing a taste of home to servicemen and women, but a taste of home for the Gurkhas is very different to a traditional taste of home for British troops!”

With almost 7 years of NAAFI service now under his belt and a whole raft of unique experiences as a result, it is clear that Gary is committed to the organisation and relishes the opportunity to really make a difference. “After an 11 year break from military service, it felt great to put on the uniform again,” says Gary. “Ever since joining the Armed Forces at 15, NAAFI has been a huge part of my life and joining the organisation I felt like I was going back to my roots. While my first tour of Iraq was a real highlight of my NAAFI career, it is fantastic to be able to work for such a highly regarded organisation which is making such a difference to the lives of so many.”

“In the relatively short time I have been in Brunei I have seen first hand how NAAFI makes life that little bit more bearable for those serving their country away from their homes, friends and families and I am very proud to have been able to see the business grow based on strategies I have devised and decisions I have made,” concludes Gary. “There is no doubt that EFI personnel face real danger while serving in war zones across the world, but the rewards are great. There is no other job in the world that can offer you experiences like these.”