Nik Smith

This week, we caught up with Nik Smith. As one of the newer members of the team, Nik is our Health & Safety Advisor, bringing Royal Air Force discipline and rigour to our operations.  

Nik spent much of this interview fielding some very random questions from an overly inquisitive marketing team member, exchanging Top Gun trivia and stories about the reality of war.  

We eventually gave up and let the marketer run riot with her line of questioning.  

Marketer: Let's start with your career in the Royal Air Force. What did you get up to? 

Nik: I was the leader of the Senior Deployment Team.  

Marketer: What did that involve? 

Nik: We were responsible for the global transport of military personnel and equipment. That meant getting ahead of where teams were going to be stationed and ensuring they had everything they needed to do their job as effectively and efficiently as possible. 

Marketer: So, A LOT of logistics management then? 

Nik: Quite a lot, yes! 

Marketer: Why did you choose the Air Force specifically? 

Nik: I’ve been fascinated by planes since childhood, and I don’t think I ever considered any career besides the Air Force.  

Marketer: No influence of Top Gun then? 

Nik: Not for me, no! 

Marketer: Although I’m sure you’ve heard the stories about recruiters being ready outside Cinema halls as people left the film feeling wildly patriotic and invincible.  

Nik: I’ve heard the stories. Quite the recruitment campaign! 

Marketer: There must be so many war films and shows that swing between being accurate and wildly ridiculous? 

Nik: So many! I'll give credit where it's due – Saving Private Ryan was actually fairly accurate. But more than the battles themselves, the emotional relationships are rarely done justice. Band of Brothers is a great series that really captures the camaraderie and brotherhood you develop with your squad. This chosen family connects you through happiness, trauma, sadness, and the good days and the bad. That's rarely shown well on screen, but Band of Brothers does it brilliantly. 

Marketer: It's firmly added to the watchlist! Moving away from the Air Force, why did you choose Health and Safety as your next career? 

Nik: When returning to civilian life, there are opportunities to gain a variety of qualifications, and planning for people's safety felt like a natural progression from the role I was already doing. 

I completed my NEBOSH certifications while I was in the Air Force, and after leaving, I worked in the food industry for a few years. I then found another military connection with a company managing medical products and explosives before finding myself here in glass. 

Marketer: So, what does the day-to-day involve now? 

Nik: Alongside the obvious responsibilities of staff safety and wellbeing, I spend a lot of time keeping up to date with changes in legislation and understanding their potential impact on the business. That's from both a financial and technical perspective, but for me, the priority is always what those changes mean for the health and safety of our staff. 

Marketer: And how do you unwind? Having travelled much of the world in your role, is there a particular underrated holiday destination you’d recommend? 

Nik: Cuba. The place, the people, the food – it's brilliant. For a country that has little, they give so much. It's such a happy place and one I'd thoroughly recommend. I had the opportunity to go into the jungles and mountains and explore the origins of where the revolution started, it was quite the experience.  

Marketer: Sounds amazing, thanks for your time today, Nik! 

Nik: You're welcome!