Tess has worked in Military Simulation, Training, and Education for 20 years.
A graduate of Russian & Soviet Studies, she first worked with the Royal Navy before becoming a fixture at a tank-park for a year trying to work out which media would enhance the training of arc-welding the bits of FV432s and her beloved motorbike. After a decade of trying to crack the code of MoD Requirements Documents as a Bid Manager and Business Development experiment, she became head of Joint Capability Business Development at CAE UK and worked on the central strategy board. 5 more years of working with more than 25 different militaries set her up nicely for a sojourn to the deserts of the Middle East where she worked independently as a Military Consultant to industry.
Tess headed back to the UK with 15 years of Military Training and Simulation (MS&T) experience to make posh jam… A year later she was hired as PR Director of Bohemia Interactive Simulations. 2015 led to expansion of the Ruddy Nice client base and the setting up of DSET. Running awesome and relevant events for the military, industry and academia in MS&T are her ongoing passions.
Tess’ hobbies include extreme basket weaving, running after an ever-active child and reading the small print on websites.
Louise is a designer turned marketing expert with an emphasis on strategy and the power of social media to connect up the dots. She is passionate about making her client’s businesses thrive in the digital world and always pushing boundaries with creativity.
Louise has formulated strategic marketing plans to successfully grow brand awareness, increasing visibility for clients in their relevant market, generating excitement about products and services and making connections to meet the clients’ BD goals.
She also has a strong design background and vast experience working with B2B clients, which was honed whilst working for global design consultancy Atkins Ltd. Louise has delivered marketing strategies for interior design businesses within an international design consultancy. Her design project portfolio includes education projects such as multiple refurbishment schemes for the University of Exeter and defence projects such as the latest RAF Marham facilities and F-35 simulation spaces. Creativity is something that drives Louise and is woven throughout everything she does.
She is fanatical about healthy living and anything that enriches daily life. You will usually find her trying out different fitness or outdoor sports such as yoga, CrossFit or surfing and blogging about it.
After serving 15 years in the Royal Navy as a medic, the Defence sector will now benefit from her skills in programme direction, project management, operations, networking and event delivery.
Abbie is also firmly situated in the Veterans arena. Offering her time and knowledge to projects that seek to support and enhance the lives of all who leave the Service as they embark on a life after the military.
Community Manager for the Trusted eXchange Network (TX-Net), Co-Founder of Leavers Link Virtual Networking and SW Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committee Member.
She then spends her free time blogging and published a fiction novel during the first pandemic lockdown. Devon is her happy place, always has been.
Sofia served 18 years in the Army as a Royal SIGNALS Officer and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. During her time in the Army she deployed on various Operational Tours around the globe as well as supporting Operations as the lead personnel officer for Afghanistan in the Permanent Joint Headquarters as a Staff Officer.
A professional, versatile and proactive individual combining 18 year's experience of managing multi stakeholders projects and human resources in the Ministry of Defence with a more recent specialisation in training, learning and development. Her final job in the Army was providing world class Leadership, Command and Staff education and training to officers, to enhance the operational capability of Defence and Security interests in the UK.
Erica completed 10 years in the British Army serving within the Royal Military Police. During her Service Erica was an NBC (CBRN) instructor and small arms Instructor along with being a trained Close Protection Officer and part of the Mounted troop. She served in the capacity of a section Commander within the Army Training Regiment Winchester. She left in the rank of CorporaL
In 2001 Erica joined Dorset Police working as a response Officer within the Conurbation of Bournemouth, she trained as a police tutor and a search team Officer and was instrumental in setting up the Dorset Police CBRN training at its conception.
After returning to Dorset Police after spending 2 years in New Zealand as a Police Officer, she completed her PolSA and hazardous environment search team training as well as the response motorcycle course, working this alongside her normal duties.
She worked within the Serious Sexual Offences team dealing with the victims of serious sexual offences, gaining expertise in interviewing victims of serious crimes. She later worked within the safeguarding team dealing with victims of domestic abuse and child exploitation.
Erica retired from the Police in 2024 and was immediately employed by Ruddy Nice.
With over seven years of experience in IT recruitment, Lucy is excited to be part of the DSET team, where she focuses on connecting talented interns with outstanding opportunities. Lucy is dedicated to building strong relationships with both clients and candidates, as she believes that recruitment is about more than just filling positions—it's about creating meaningful connections.
Lucy is passionate about supporting the next generation of talent and looks forward to making a positive impact within the DSET Internship Programme! Outside of work, Lucy enjoys spending time outdoors, as being in nature is where she is happiest. Whether it's walking the dog, climbing trees with her kids, camping, or occasionally going for a run!
Lyn is a connector and a team player with thoughtful, creative ideas that generate meaningful conversations and drive business results. She has 16 years of experience in digital marketing and events management, working in the public and private sector, and a BA in Marketing and MA in Public Administration.
She lives by the sea in Devon and loves capturing sunsets on her camera, especially in winter.
Kate has been helping her clients win more work for more than 15 years. She has diverse experience across a range of industries, including more than five years in military simulation.
Kate is our resident wordsmith. She helps our clients craft and communicate winning value propositions. She is an accomplished copywriter and proposal writer, and renowned for her easy-to-work-with style.
As an Australian, Kate is a bit of a dag. Albeit, an articulate dag. She loves letting her hair down when the occasion arises, and isn’t afraid to be herself at work. We love her, and we’re sure you’ll love her too!
