News

February 2nd 2023

Boots Chief Customer and Category Officer Steve Ager signed the Covenant in its Lincoln High Street
store on January 26, alongside Mark Rigden, Head of Flagships, who signed on behalf of Boots
Opticians.

The Armed Forces Covenant is a voluntary pledge, which by signing, Boots has committed to offer
great employment opportunities for Veterans and Reserve Forces, through a truly inclusive end to
end recruitment process. Boots has also developed HR policies to support Reserve Forces with
additional paid annual leave allowances for training and during periods of mobilisation.

Steve Ager, Boots Chief Customer and Category Officer said: “Boots has a proud history of
supporting the Armed Forces in the UK, and we see signing the Armed Forces Covenant as an
opportunity to continue to do our part to support serving members and their families as well as
veterans.”

With over 2,200 stores across the country, Boots also offers excellent career opportunities to Forces
Families. It recognises that Service Personnel may move location throughout their careers and
endeavours to help their spouse or partner move store location and continue their own career
development.

In early 2022, Boots set up a Business Resource Group (BRG), Valour, with the vision to be an
employer of choice for Veterans, Reservists and Military Families and Friends.

The signing was attended by Boots team members as well as serving and former military personnel,
including veterans who now work for Boots, including Hannah Harvey, RAF veteran who recently
joined Boots as a Continuous Improvement Manager.

Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families, Dr Andrew Murrison, said: “I am
delighted to see Boots formalise their commitment to our veterans, Reserves and their families right
across the UK. In doing so they are committing to offering meaningful employment options for our
people post service, whilst ensuring they can continue to make a great contribution to our society.”

Boots has long supported the Armed Forces. As a retailer with over 170 years of experience, it
provided essential pharmacy services throughout both World Wars, including manufacturing
products for the troops on the front line as well as being a key support on the home front. Boots also
worked closely with the Army during the Covid-19 pandemic, including training thousands of Army
staff on safe swabbing techniques as mass testing programmes were rolled out.

END

Further Reading

Case Study – Hannah Harvey

Hannah is a Boots team member who made the transition from the RAF into civilian work. She
served for 15 years in the RAF working across roles in logistics, explosives, fuels, warehousing and
engineering, before taking a role at BMW, and later joining Boots as a Continuous Improvement
Manager in its Transformation Team in August 2022.

On joining the Armed Forces, Hannah, said: “It was a role I picked because I wanted to travel, and I
have family history in the Air Force and military with my Grandparents, Dad and four Uncles who all
served in the Armed Forces. My Grandma served in the National Service, so I was definitely following
in her footsteps.

“I went on tours to Iraq and Afghanistan and spent time in the UAE, the U.S. and the Falklands. The
best work is definitely with the engineers and aircraft squadrons — you’re as close to the aircraft and
the action as you would want to be!

“Once I returned to the UK, I was promoted into the RAF’s Continuous Improvement Cell, which is
where my love for what I do now at Boots comes from.

“Once I made the decision to transition out to the RAF, I was very nervous. In my experience for
someone coming out of the military, it really helps to be part of a large organization like Boots.
You’re one part of a huge entity and it’s nice to be able to slot in and understand how your role plays
into the whole.

“Right from the interview stage, I was making connections with other Boots team members who
were ex RAF and Armed Forces. They really helped with making that connection and helping with
the transition, speaking to me in a language that I understood and explaining how Boots operates.

“As part of the Valor Business Resource Group, you’re linking with people outside your immediate
team who have already made that transition, which can be scary for a lot of people. We can offer
each other support and advice and create a network of like-minded people.

“The key transferrable skills that help me in my role now are working well under pressure and
adaptability – adapt and overcome as we say! In the military, there are so many talented people
with these transferrable skills that can benefit bigger companies. We love a new challenge, and I
think companies like Boots are seeing more and more the benefit they can get from recruiting
members of the Armed Forces.

“Signing the Covenant is a brilliant step in making Boots a really attractive employer for people like
myself and our friends and family members.”

About Boots:
Boots is the UK’s leading health and beauty retailer. Its mission is to be the first choice for health and
beauty – caring for people, customers and communities everywhere.

With over 53,000 team members and over 2,200 stores, ranging from local
community pharmacies to large destination health and beauty stores, Boots serves its customer and
patients’ wellbeing for life.

Boots is the UK’s number one beauty destination and largest pharmacy chain providing dispensing and
essential healthcare services, and it offers an unrivalled depth and breadth of product offering including
its innovative portfolio of brands, including No7, the UK’s No1 skincare brand, Soap & Glory, Liz Earle,
Sleek MakeUP and YourGoodSkin. For over 170 years, Boots has listened, learned and innovated, and it
continues to challenge itself to improve its products and services every day.

Boots is part of Walgreens Boots Alliance, which is a global leader in pharmacy-led, health and
wellbeing retail.  More company information is available on boots-uk.com.
*Figures accurate as of 30 November 2022

About the Armed Forces Covenant:
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or who have
served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly. To find out more information about the Armed
Forces Covenant and how to get involved, click here.