A tough businesswoman revealed how she juggles her desk job with dodging bullets and missiles – on the battlefield.
Emma Duvall, 28, has fought against rebels in Iraq and Afghanistan for more than ten years as a Captain in the Territorial Army (TA) Reserves.
And for much of this period she has held down a job as a business advisor for a management and human resources firm.
Emma, who has an international relations degree, boasts two tours of Afghanistan and Iraq on her CV.
But the office warrior, from Aberdeen, Scotland, insists taking on insurgents in the desert is no different from her office job.
She said: “The battlefield and the office may seem like two extremes, but when you break down how you approach a challenge, find a solution and apply a strategy there are actually a lot of similarities between the two.”
Emma travelled to Iraq in 2007 and Afghanistan in 2010 and is training in preparation for any future call-outs to the war-torn Asian countries.
Despite her commitments to the TA, Emma said she has no problems finding the time to train and also work for Aberdeen-based Hunter Adams.
She said: “I started to consider the army and began investigating it while I was at school. I had originally planned to join the regular Army.
“But then I found that I could develop two careers side by side.
“It’s not suitable for everyone: you are going out, getting cold, wet and muddy rather than going clubbing.”
Despite the dangers, Emma insists she loves going on tour with the TA.
She said: “I worked as part of a base security unit trying to identify insurgents and protecting our women and men on base.
“In Iraq, mortars and rockets were fired at the compound on a daily basis.
“The only thing you could do was lie down, try to make yourself as small as possible and hope you weren’t hit.
“In Afghanistan, flying in the helicopters was extremely dangerous.
“As a soldier your natural instinct is to fight back, but in both of those situations all you do is lie on the ground and hope you don’t get hit or trust your pilot to get you home safely.”
And Emma paid tribute to her understanding boss who allows her to take the time off for her TA duties.
She added: “My managing director Dean Hunter understands the power of flexible working.
“He is really supportive and understands that my work and training with the TA ultimately strengthens my skills set and ability to do my day job.
“I just try to focus on fulfilling my responsibilities as a captain in the TA and as a business adviser.”
Dean said: “Emma’s experience in the TA is second to none. She can draw on her leadership experience from the battlefield and apply it to our business practices.”
