TENGOAL | Interview
their children to school, the security of a family or executive, all of their transport movements as well as Mark Chisholm giving their assistants the full support and breadth of his network – he can get almost any request arranged. It’s pretty fast paced.” Another key member of the Capstar
team is Henry Newton. “The ex-garrison sergeant major, was in my squadron in the Household Cavalry. Henry was integral to setting up the business and was the first Operations Manager who designed the way in which we do business. Since then, he has set up the training division,” said Bowmont with pride. “We have always trained our own drivers, but recently Henry won a contract to run part of the Licensing for Transport for London. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has upped the requirement for those with private carriage operators’ licences and so Henry has jumped on that, as well as running our security and chauffeur courses.” Although Charlie Bowmont loves his
work at Capstar, one day he will inherit the Floors Castle estate in Scotland. So could this mean a Capstar office north of the border too? “Possibly in Edinburgh; it’s a capital city so there’s a bit more opportunity for that type of work. There is a big veteran population there, so maybe down the line.” Although Bowmont’s focus is currently directed to our changing
attitudes
towards cars. “It is quite interesting to see how car ownership is going to change and what that means for companies like us. At some stage we will have driverless cars, although that is far enough away not to keep me awake at nights at the moment, and driverless cars will not mitigate the need for manned security. However, I was talking to a high-end car manufacturer and they are looking at their owners as international citizens who typically own houses in multiple jurisdictions. So on their app they are pioneering the opportunity for these clients to not actually own a car but to have access to the marque wherever they are. Maybe they want a car for a weekend to drive up to Guards Polo Club. So as part of the wider services Capstar delivers, we would be able to deliver that and conduct the operational back end – a platform we are building at the moment.” Charlie Bowmont has not forgotten his fellow soldiers either. “I would also
76
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in conversation with Charlie Bowmont and Neil Hobday at a Guards Polo Club reception at Windsor Castle
Sometimes it feels that we are fighting
an uphill battle to get your voice heard about the importance of employing ex-servicemen and women
like to be doing more to try and help place ex-soldiers into other organisations, become more of a recruitment service,” he explained. “We work with Simon Treadgold, an ex-Welsh Guards officer, who has spent 15 years running recruitment
services touchpoint for most and acts as the officers leaving
the military and going into jobs in the city, security, insurance amongst other industries and sectors.” Capstar already has close links with
military charities such as FirstLight Trust, Combat Stress and Walking with the Wounded, but Bowmont believes that more could be done on a wider scale. “Sometimes it feels that we are fighting an uphill battle to get your voice heard about the importance of employing ex- servicemen and women,” he said. “The issue with mental health is only just beginning to be recognised and I think the charities like FirstLight will continue to need more support from the government and other organisations.
“There is an issue that when an
individual leaves the Armed Forces that they are then out of sight, and out of mind. The MOD does a lot for those who are coming to the end of their careers, but it is harder for the government to keep track of, and provide support when they have been out of the organisation for a few years. If you think that on joining the military that a young guardsman will be just 17 and likely retire at around the age of 40, they will be only half way through their working life. So what I have always tried to do with Capstar is to provide an option for those who are keen to work here, and also to provide an example of how military qualities can be applied in a different commercial industry.” With Capstar going from strength to
strength – it is now recognised by the Walpole Association as a “Walpole Brand of Tomorrow” – Capstar has created an exciting platform to highlight the suitability of ex-military personnel in a range of careers.
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