CHARLOTTE YEMM
Ross-on-Wye,Herefordshire
Summary
Senior leader with 32 years of military command experience, specialising in strategic planning, large-scale programme delivery, and organisational transformation. Proven track record designing and delivering complex programmes, managing large teams across multiple sites, and driving excellence in high-pressure environments. Expert in stakeholder management at the highest levels, with demonstrable success leading cultural change, developing talent, and achieving operational excellence. Skilled communicator comfortable engaging from frontline teams to ministerial level.
Overview
32
32
years of professional experience
8045
8045
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Course Director, Advanced Command and Staff Course
UK Defence Academy, Shrivenham
Shrivenham, UK
2024.04 - 2026.03
- Lead the UK’s flagship professional military education programme, designing and delivering strategic leadership development to 250 senior UK and international officers and civil servants annually.
- Oversee operations across 300+ personnel with direct line management responsibility for 100 course members and staff.
- Manage £7M revenue-generating programme with £1.3M operational budget, optimising resource allocation whilst maintaining quality standards.
- Drive curriculum innovation and build relationships with senior leaders, government officials, and international partners.
Maritime Planner
NATO Headquarters, Gloucester
Gloucester, UK
2022.09 - 2024.01
- Lead the headquarters through operational level planning in preparation for NATO role.
- Developed innovative ways to place risk and opportunity at the heart of decision making.
- Achieved NATO accreditation of planning processes as NATO’s high readiness Land Component Headquarters.
Commander Warfare Support Training Group
Maritime Warfare School, Fareham
Fareham
2021.07 - 2022.09
- Head of training for Royal Navy officers and sailors delivering fire-fighting and force protection courses prior to going to sea, as well as career courses for UK and international warfare officers.
- Headed up six training groups dispersed across ten locations throughout the UK delivering over 100 critical Naval training courses to sailors joining their frontline military roles.
- Responsible for the safe training environment for staff and students across the training group including risk management and reduction and equipment update and development.
- Responsible for delivery of training where mentoring is at the heart of all activity within a diverse and inclusive environment.
Directing Staff, Advanced Command and Staff Course
UK Defence Academy, Swindon
Swindon
2018.08 - 2021.07
- Designed and taught a course of 270 national and international senior officers, to prepare them to conduct planning at the strategic and operational levels.
- Instructed senior officers from UK and International Armed Forces in strategic and operational level planning preparing them for their senior leadership roles.
- Achieved the seamless transition from face-to-face teaching to online training in the space of 48hrs, using new online systems and techniques when COVID rules were applied.
- Identified the need for better military planning doctrine, wrote a new annex to simplify and explain the process which was used by the course for training and by military headquarters for planning operations.
Surface Warfare Officer
Royal Navy
1994.01 - 2018.08
- Employed at sea in a variety of ships in roles including Navigator, Operations Officer, Second in Command and Commanding Officer on operations around the globe.
- Qualified meteorologist and hydrographer forecasting for helicopters operating in the Antarctic and charting oceans to update hydrographic charts.
- Worked in planning roles within Naval and Joint Battle staffs running complex multi-national exercises and real-world operations.
Education
Chartered Manager (CMgr) – CMI Level 8 Certificate - Strategic Direction and Leadership
Post Graduate Certificate - Academic Practice in Higher Professional Education
University College of London, UK Defence Academy
Master of Arts - Defence Studies
University College of London, UK Defence Academy
Post Graduate Certificate - Applied Oceanography and Meteorology
Plymouth University
BSc Jnt Hons - Geography and Topographic Science
Swansea University
Skills
- Advanced planning skills
- Leadership and team management
- Course delivery and training
- Written and oral communication
- Briefing and presentation skills
- Adaptability to change
- Interpersonal and mentoring skills
Websites
Hobbies and Interests
A level 2 coach in hockey, cricket and kayaking, a volunteer junior coach at local sports clubs and the Sea Cadet unit. Passionate about promoting sport and outdoor activities in the local community. Enjoys camping trips, travelling and going on adventures with her husband, two boys and their spaniel.
Accomplishments
- First female in the Royal Navy to Command an operational warship. HMS BRECON (2003)
- Fleet Commander Commendation for delivering operations (2015)
- Commander NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps award for Management of Risk (2017)
- Represented the Royal Navy and UK Armed Forces at hockey, cricket at kayaking.
Timeline
Course Director, Advanced Command and Staff Course
UK Defence Academy, Shrivenham
2024.04 - 2026.03
Maritime Planner
NATO Headquarters, Gloucester
2022.09 - 2024.01
Commander Warfare Support Training Group
Maritime Warfare School, Fareham
2021.07 - 2022.09
Directing Staff, Advanced Command and Staff Course
UK Defence Academy, Swindon
2018.08 - 2021.07
Surface Warfare Officer
Royal Navy
1994.01 - 2018.08
Post Graduate Certificate - Academic Practice in Higher Professional Education
University College of London, UK Defence Academy
Chartered Manager (CMgr) – CMI Level 8 Certificate - Strategic Direction and Leadership
Master of Arts - Defence Studies
University College of London, UK Defence Academy
Post Graduate Certificate - Applied Oceanography and Meteorology
Plymouth University
BSc Jnt Hons - Geography and Topographic Science
Swansea University