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CAPTAIN SARAH OAKLEY
OFFICER IN COMMAND - BRNC
Captain Oakley is the latest in a long line of Officers in Command at the Britannia Royal Naval College but she is also the first woman to hold this important post, succeeding Captain Roger Readwin who has left to become Naval Attaché in the UK Embassy in Washington. By The Dart met up with Sarah just a short few weeks into her new command.
C
aptain Oakley’s Naval career is a career of two distinct halves – significant operational experience at
sea (including command of her own ships) and a high-flying on-shore experience teaching and training and latterly working in the Ministry of Defence helping to shape the UK’s defence strategies.
Sarah joined the Navy immediately after
Oxford University. Whilst her university friends were out enjoying the high life and buzz of new careers in London, she soon found herself out at sea (having first trained at BRNC and HMS Collingwood) and on watch on the bridge of a ship in the early hours of the morning. She had always “hankered for that type of lifestyle, but also knew that this was where my real skill sets lay. I was going to enjoy a real sense of responsibility at a young age and I needed a career that wasn’t about sitting in an office but was more physical, more active and more demanding. I also loved the travel aspect of the Navy life!”
“Leaving Oxford, I wanted a job that
would leave me feeling empowered. My first job in the Fishery Protection Squadron was brilliant in that respect. At just 22 years old, I was inspecting fishing boats, their nets, catches and documentation – I was in charge of the boarding team. It was an amazing experience.”
What does Sarah consider were the skill sets that helped her in her career? “I like working with a diverse group of people – actually, the more diverse the better. I like getting to understand individuals, what they’re good at, how they gel as team and how they can support each other. I love the pleasure in people’s faces when they achieve something, especially if we’ve worked hard together and each of us has been able to contribute our best. It’s very infectious being part of a high-performing team.
“My recent (shore) career working more widely in the Ministry of Defence and across Government has been fascinating, giving me an opportunity to contribute to the future strategic direction of the Royal Navy.”
Sarah has often had roles when she’s either been the only woman on a ship or one of just a few. The fact that she’s now the first woman to undertake the Captain role at the BRNC speaks highly of the regard in which she is held in the Navy but also the importance of the journey she has undertaken to get there. Her rise up the ranks has encouraged others in her wake. “I am not sure whether it was by accident when I took command of my own ships or the example of a woman being in charge but the number of women aboard grew
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