Harriet Rogers qualified in the RAF in 2006, working as an Air Operations (Systems) Manager. She took her 1st career break in 2013 after the birth of her children and her 2nd career break in 2017 after she left the military and moved to the Middle East with her husband’s work.

Unable to work there, she kept herself busy studying for a Masters in Terrorism, Crime and Global Security and upskilling. When she was ready to return to work, she began to proactively explore how the areas she was interested in academically might fit with work opportunities. She took advantage of the many events taking place online which she could attend to build her subject knowledge as well as her understanding of different organisational cultures and values to get a feel for what might be a good fit for her.

Crucially, Harriet reached out to people. In our conversation, Harriet shares how contacting the presenter of one of the online events she attended ultimately led to her new role at BAE Systems as Head of Cyber Security, Governance and Standards “Definitely reach out. People are so happy to share and that’s a really invaluable resource. And as you say, it can just lead you down little alleyways that you never expected”.

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