Sophy Gardner

Sophy Gardner is a retired Wing Commander and is standing to be a Member of Parliament representing Gloucester in the May 2015 General Election. She has been awarded the MBE for Service in the RAF and was nominated as Women of the Year.
Education
Gardner attended Putney High School and Kingston Grammar School followed by Newnham College Cambridge, where she gained a MA in Geography. She has since gained a post graduate diploma in Strategic Management from Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and an MPhil in European Studies.
RAF career
On joining the RAF, Gardner first posting was to RAF Lyneham, and then onto HMS Invincible, which deployed to the Balkans in 2000.
Subsequent to this, Gardner was in charge of RAF Air Transport and Refulling Assets, which time period included the attacks on the World Trade Centre as well as Afghanistan.
As a result of her service during this period, Sophy was awarded the MBE.
In 2003 Gardner was posted to become Personal Staff Officer (PSO) to Commander UK Forces Iraq followed by developing US-UK Air Force liaison working with the Pentagon.
In 2006 she deployed to Helmand province, Afghanistan, to assist the arrival of the UK forces
She then attend the Defence Academy (UK), Shrivenham, before being posted to the MOD in Media and Communications.
In 2009, Gardner was nominated as Women of the Year for her achievements in her career to date.
Her final posting was as a Wing Commander, commanding Operations Wing at RAF Valley and was the first woman to hold that post.
Post RAF
Gardner launched and is the Director of Prism Strategies Limited in 2011.
Gardner was Event Director of the Opening of the Bomber Command Memorial on 28 June 2012 for which she was awarded a Chief of the Air Staff’s Commendation.
Politics
November 2012 - Gardner was shortlisted alongside Sarah Champion for the Rotherham by-election where Champion was selected.

In April 2013 Gardner was selected by Gloucester Labour Party to represent them in the 2015 election.
Other interests
Gardner is the President of the Gloucester Branch of the Royal British Legion, a member of the Cooperative Party and the union UNITE.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu