Andy Pearce, 42, has moved up the ranks from a site labourer to becoming regional build director for Vistry East Midlands after spending six years with the armed forces.

He has since supported other ex-service personnel as they transition to civilian life and is now being honoured as a finalist in a national awards ceremony.

Andy has been shortlisted for ‘Team Leader of the Year’ in the Ex-Forces in Business Awards 2023. It is the world’s largest celebration of the role former military personnel fulfil in their second careers.

Andy, who served with the Royal Engineers, said: “I joined the army when I was 16, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, and I had little confidence. But the army brought all of that out of me, I met some amazing people on my first day, and I am still good friends with many of them today, they are like an extended family to me.

“I was stationed in Bosnia for six months in 1998 when I was just 18. My experiences in the army taught me a lot. It gave me a sense of purpose and I felt as though I was part of something bigger.

“Transitioning to civilian life and into the construction industry was challenging and I had to face the inevitability of change.

“I had recently married, and we wanted to start a family, so I was literally breaking with a life I had known since 16. My role in the Army had shaped me when I had no experience or knowledge. I was then taking on a job within the construction industry that had every chance of failing.

“For me, I think it helped that the sense of camaraderie within construction was familiar, so this gave me the support and comfort to do what I have always done – to push myself and learn as much as I could, which I am proud to say has led me here today.”

Andy’s role requires him to oversee 13 new home locations for Vistry, which builds under the Bovis Homes, Linden Homes, and Countryside Homes brands. He has three ex-service personnel in his team at present.

He was nominated for the Ex-Forces in Business award by his colleagues, led by Vistry East Midlands managing director Fraser Hopes.