Lesley’s Military Media Award
Lt Col Lesley Wilde
Birmingham Press Club member Lesley Wilde has been presented with a Special Award for Outstanding Leadership in Military Media & Communications.
The Company of Communicators 2021 Military Communicator Awards were held at the Honourable Artillery Company in the City of London, where guests included former First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff Chief Admiral Lord West and Vincent Keaveny, Lord Mayor-elect of the City of London, who said: “Never has it been more imperative to communicate the role of the Armed Forces at home as well as overseas.”
He added: “The involvement in the response to the coronavirus pandemic is just one of a number of tasks the UK military has been involved in recent years and you as communicators help ensure we at home better understand, appreciate and hopefully acknowledge the service of others.”
In presenting Lesley with her award, Deborah Oliver, Master of the Company of Communicators, said that in addition to running her own public relations company, Lesley had succeeded in achieving a “truly impressive career as a very talented and committed military media communicator.”
Deborah added: “She has a ‘can do’ inspirational attitude that motivates everyone around her. Her tact, diplomacy and determination to complete a task make her an exceptional role model and she has mentored a number of junior communicators throughout her career.”
Lesley, who holds the rank of Lt Col, joined the Army as an officer in the Women’s Royal Army Corps and was stationed in Germany for several years with the Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers before completing a tour as Garrison Adjutant.
She then transferred from regular to reserve service, using her media skills in the Media Operations Group to lead exercises across the world.
She escorted some of the first media into Kuwait during First Gulf War in 1991, worked in Berlin during the fall of the Wall and the end of the Cold War, covered the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, the funeral of HRH Prince Phillip and was fully engaged in supporting the military contribution to Covid-19.
Llewela Bailey, chairman of Birmingham Press Club, said: “Our membership is delighted that Lesley has received such a richly-deserved accolade.”
Photo: Lesley (second left) with Vincent Keaveny, Deborah Oliver and Lord West
