The Team

Tess Butler

Founder and CEO of Ruddy Nice

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 Hart

Marketing Director

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.

Abbie Pierce

Programme Director

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.

Supported By

Linda Spindley

Marketing Manager

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 Warner

Editor-In-Chief

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!

Join Our Team

Our biggest asset is our Team and we offer a flexible working environment. We strive to create a work environment that puts well-being and happiness as a priority for each individual. We have grown to be a team of creative problem solvers, empowering others to find solutions, and not afraid to be ourselves.
 
We actively seek to employ veterans and Military leavers and are always on the lookout for people with talent, who are enthusiastic, and eager to learn, to join our Team.