Helping veterans see what's possible: Lindsey Partington's mission to support the Armed Forces community.

Life at Sodexo People Defence
Jun. 25, 2026

Lindsey Partington pic 4 — Lindsey PartingtonHead of Prisoner Health & Wellbeing at Sodexo UK & Ireland

For Lindsey Partington, Head of Prisoner Health & Wellbeing, her ambition is simple: to help more veterans feel supported, valued and connected as they take their next steps after service.

A former RAF nurse from a proud military family, she is now using her experience to help ensure veterans and military families can make a successful transition into civilian careers.

Lindsey is passionate about recognising the contribution of serving personnel, veterans and military families, and helping more people understand the opportunities available to them after service.

With this week being Armed Forces Week, where we get to show our support and appreciation for those who served and continue to serve the United Kingdom, Sodexo UK & Ireland is sharing a series of blogs from the more than 500 veterans we currently employ, shining a light on their experiences and achievements.

A foundation built on service

Military life has shaped Lindsey from an early age. Growing up in a military family before serving nine years in the Royal Air Force as a nurse, the values she learned there continue to influence how she works and leads today.

She began her medical career with the RAF in 2000 at the age of 19, and completed nine years in the military in total, leaving as manager of the unit in her officer's deployment absence. Lindsey completed her training as a nurse at the University of Portsmouth during active service, while based at Fort Blockhouse in Gosport, and travelled to many different bases at home and overseas for her training, from Scotland to Cyprus.

Her first post following training was at Peterborough at RAF Wittering, then as a Corporal, serving on the MAU (Medical Admissions Unit) at the Ministry of Defence hospital unit. Working her way up to the position of senior nurse, Lindsey completed higher education courses in acute care, leadership, mentorship and chronic disease management, among others.

"You learn so many skills in the military. It's unbelievable," she explains. "The way that it gets ingrained in you, you'll never get rid of it."

Those values of teamwork, resilience and service have stayed with her throughout her career. "I've only ever been as good as my team is," she says. "You build a team around you, you look after them like they're your family, and they'll do the same back."

It's a leadership philosophy that has helped Lindsey build a successful career spanning almost two decades with Sodexo UK & Ireland. Her military values and skills still define how she leads today.

"The most important thing to me that I have transferred from the RAF is my absolute commitment to my team. As a previous RAF slogan says: 'RAF, The Team Works'." Her passion and care for her team are immediately obvious when speaking to Lindsey. This is based on mutual trust and respect, fundamentals that are drilled into you in the armed forces.

"Although I am their leader, I cannot describe in words how grateful I am to my team – they offer me their commitment and we all support each other," she says as Head of Healthcare at HMP Forest Bank, leading a large clinical workforce, adding: "I am able to resonate their thought process around this and I feel as a veteran myself I receive a greater level of trust from these cases."

It's unsurprising, then, that Lindsey was recognised for these values in her role at HMP Forest Bank in Salford, winning the Military Values in Business Award in 2022 by the Ex-Forces in Business Awards.

A career opportunity discovered by chance

Lindsey's civilian career wasn't straightforward, however.

When Lindsey decided to leave the RAF to start a family, she wasn't entirely sure what her next step would be.

Then a conversation with a civilian nurse changed everything.

"My friend said to me she'd worked at a prison and thought I'd enjoy it because of the structure and the regime. If she hadn't said that to me on that day, I wouldn't be in Sodexo now because I didn't even know this type of job existed."

That conversation led Lindsey to join Sodexo UK & Ireland as a prison nurse at HMP Forest Bank.

Looking back, she believes the transition felt surprisingly natural.

While her own transition was successful, she recognises that many veterans find leaving the Armed Forces far more challenging.

"Be kind to yourself," she says. "Take some time to allow yourself to adjust to the change. It's not easy and it doesn't happen overnight."

Lindsey talks at length about the challenges around transition, particularly in relation to veterans suffering with mental health problems, PTSD, and a loss of purpose, with no specialist care or guidance after discharge.

"I think we can make people leaving the military that are nervous or anxious feel part of a family before they leave," adding: "You have to learn how to translate your skills into civilian life. You learn so much in the military, but it's about helping people understand the value of those skills."

Sodexo UK & Ireland is a leading employer of military veterans in the UK, holding the Ministry of Defence's Gold Employer Recognition Award, and employing more than 500 veterans.

It's this record and solid foundation that Lindsey wants to build on in her role through initiatives like Sodexo's Military Connections Network. "I want the transition to be more inclusive, more visible, and easier for veterans," she said, adding: "[Our support for veterans] has always been there, but we're taking it to the next stage."

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Growing with Sodexo UK & Ireland for seventeen years

What began as a nursing role has evolved into a diverse and rewarding career.

Over the last 17 years, Lindsey has progressed through a variety of leadership positions, working across healthcare, social care, rehabilitation, mobilisation projects and strategic programmes.

Today, she leads various prisoner health and wellbeing initiatives across Sodexo's justice business.

Her enthusiasm for new challenges is unmistakable, and Lindsey attributes this to her military background.

"I can literally turn my hand to anything," she says. "I can be so diverse across so many different areas of work with my background."

From helping establish innovative initiatives such as Combat2Coffee and the Clean Slate Café, to leading major projects and supporting prison teams across the country, Lindsey has built a reputation for getting things done.

"I'm just an absolute doer," she laughs. "I do not take no for an answer. Let's just adapt and overcome."

Yet despite her progression into senior leadership, Lindsey says one thing has never changed.

"You wouldn't see any difference in me from when I was five grades lower to what I am now. I didn't need to change who I was to get where I am, and Sodexo has helped with that. Sodexo have helped me develop existing skills and helped me grow."

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Bringing her whole self to work

One of the things Lindsey values most about Sodexo is the freedom to be herself.

"I feel like I can bring my whole self to work." For many veterans, that sense of belonging is particularly important after leaving military life.

"It's important to be with a company that allows you to be seen and valued," she says. "I think they see me and they see veterans."

Over recent years, Lindsey has become increasingly involved in Sodexo UK & Ireland's work supporting veterans, reservists and military families. As co-chair of the Military Connections Network, she is looking forward to helping bring together colleagues with shared experiences and strengthen support across the business.

"I am unapologetically myself now," she says. "My dad used to say I could whisper over a thousand fields, and I now hear the same thing from my colleagues!"

Lindsey is now regularly speaking to people in the sector and across Sodexo UK & Ireland in her role. In February, she spoke at the Food Connections event at Tidworth Civic Centre, with more opportunities coming up, including attending an upcoming Women Empowering Defence event.

She adds: "I feel like my background and experiences are valued, and that's really important after you've transitioned from the military."

Lindsey agrees that having her efforts and achievements both seen and appreciated has been a huge part for her career development and confidence.

During the pandemic, Lindsey helped lead HMP Forest Bank's Covid response, completing around 4,000 track-and-trace calls alongside colleagues, and kept staff motivated through an unprecedented period. She showed resilience, calmness under pressure, leadership, adaptability, and an unwavering commitment to service.

"I think winning that award was a real turning point for me. I started getting recognised more often, people wanted to talk to me, hear from me, and it has propelled my career."

Supporting the next generation of veterans

Today, much of Lindsey's passion is focused on helping other veterans navigate the journey she made nearly two decades ago.

While she acknowledges that Sodexo has long supported the Armed Forces and the wider military community, including veterans, reserves, Cadet Forces Adult Volunteers and military families, Lindsey has seen first-hand how the organisation's commitment continues to evolve and grow with her own leaders offering their own full support.

Her ambition is to go further. "It's the right thing to do," she says.

Through initiatives such as the Military Connections Network, partnerships across the defence community and increasing visibility of veteran support programmes, Lindsey believes Sodexo UK & Ireland is helping to create meaningful opportunities for service leavers and military families.

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She wants more service personnel to understand the breadth of careers available across Sodexo UK & Ireland, and elsewhere, and the support networks waiting for them.

"I want Sodexo to be on the end of everybody's tongue," she says. "I want people in the RAF, Army and Navy to know that there are opportunities here for them."

Lindsey makes not only the human case for hiring veterans, but also the business case. She tells me that veterans often underestimate what they bring to civilian employers. "It's okay not to have all the answers immediately when you leave the armed forces," she says, "you're leaving an entire way of life behind."

"The military community just really fit well into our business [...] They really bring that calibre of skills, work ethics with them already that have kind of been embedded whilst they're in the military."

Looking to a future of advocacy and action

As Lindsey looks ahead, she sees exciting opportunities to continue connecting her passions for health, wellbeing, leadership and veteran support.

"I want to help the greater business achieve those goals," she says. "I want to do more."

Through her role and advocacy for veterans across the organisation, she hopes to help even more people find purpose, belonging and opportunity after military service.

For Lindsey, that's what Armed Forces Week is ultimately about: recognising those who serve, celebrating the contribution they make, and ensuring they know their skills, experience and values continue to matter long after they leave uniform behind.

"There are so many opportunities," she says. "We value your skills, we can use your skills, we can develop you, we can support you, and we see you."

Helping veterans see what's possible: Lindsey Partington's mission to support the Armed Forces community.

A foundation built on service

A career opportunity discovered by chance

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Growing with Sodexo UK & Ireland for seventeen years

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Bringing her whole self to work

Supporting the next generation of veterans

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Looking to a future of advocacy and action

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Related stories

From submarines to Sodexo: Steven Baillie’s career journey

Service takes many forms: Matthew Thorpe's story

From the frontline to second chances: Keith Sinnott’s story

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Growing with Sodexo UK & Ireland for seventeen years

Bringing her whole self to work

Supporting the next generation of veterans

Looking to a future of advocacy and action

Related stories

From submarines to Sodexo: Steven Baillie’s career journey

Service takes many forms: Matthew Thorpe's story

From the frontline to second chances: Keith Sinnott’s story