Aspire Defence celebrates Gold Award for outstanding Armed Forces support

Aspire Defence Limited has been awarded the 2025 Gold Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) — the highest honour given by the Ministry of Defence to employers who go above and beyond in their support for the Armed Forces community.

The Gold Award reflects the commitment Aspire Defence has made over many years to create a workplace that truly values and supports people connected to the military, from veterans and reservists to service spouses, partners, and cadet force adult volunteers.

To earn the Gold Award, employers must demonstrate they:

• support and advocate for the Armed Forces in and outside their organisation;

• support reservists, veterans (including those wounded or injured), cadet force volunteers and military families;

• have flexible and supportive HR policies tailored to the needs of the Armed Forces community;

• have signed and actively uphold the Armed Forces Covenant

Allan Thomson, Chief Executive of Aspire Defence Ltd, said:

“Achieving the Gold Award is a reflection of the ongoing effort we put into truly making a difference to those who serve, both during their time in uniform and beyond.

“This isn’t just something we say, it is something we live. We are proud to support the Armed Forces community in real and practical ways, such as flexible leave for reservists and cadet volunteers and guaranteed interviews for veterans and military spouses, and we have built these commitments into how we work every day.

“Our team includes people with military backgrounds and their experience helps us keep improving what we do, from working with local military units to sponsoring community and military events and our ongoing support to Army Sport.

“We are honoured to be recognised with this award because for us, it’s more than support: it is a shared purpose.”