'Bravo Zulu' by Matt Harrison

Created by Anna Lawson 2 months ago

This is a speech that no one ever wants to give, but I am really honoured that Anna has asked that I say a few words about Neal on behalf of his work colleagues and friends.

We were all shocked on hearing this incredibly sad news – sad for Anna, Ned, Grace, Lil, Jack and of course his parents Alan and Jean – but also the wider community that were fortunate to have Neal in their lives during his illustrious career.
A number of us have reached around to gather some stories of Neal to shine a little light on the person that we knew.
I have also read many of the letters written to Anna and family and they make for remarkable reading, so I trust you don’t mind me quoting from a few of them.


So, who was Neal? The extraordinary colleague we all came to admire for his intellect, tenacity, and ability to deliver things no one else could fathom. Well, let me tell you all a little more by drawing these stories together.


Neal Joined the Civil Service as a fast streamer in the late 80s where he showed his early mettle by progressing at a far faster pace than his cohort. He was promoted repeatedly and made senior civil servant in just over 10 years – quite an extraordinary feat.
He was mainly based in the Defence Logistics Organisation in the Bath area – for the uninitiated the DLO was responsible for making sure that Defence could look after all of the shiny kit its partner organisation the Defence Procurement Agency had bought – and as the military always insisted on the latest thing our inventory of kit grew and grew – in fact we had so much we used to keep a lot of it buried in tunnels beneath Bath.


But dealing with complexity was always Neal’s forte, and he quickly developed a deep understanding of the challenge of support and then set himself up to lead the MoDs internal consultancy team, snappily called the Lean Support Continuous Improvement Team (LSCIT) based at Ensleigh and subsequently Foxhill in Bath.


The notion of an internal consultancy team working across all the services was really novel, but it was Neal who clearly recognised the value of support interventions that yielded real benefits and he was proud and confident to stand behind these hard cash savings. The system has proven to be so successful it is still in play today.


Neal moved onto a 1 Star role as Head of Fleet Wide Equipment looking after the Royal Navy – his colleague Paul Mallardet reflecting that he was one of the best bosses he had worked for and remained a close colleague for the rest of his career.


This is when I first met Neal. I was a young (ish) Naval Captain in those days and had commissioned an exercise to count all of the small boats the Navy owned as rather surprisingly we didn’t know….turns out that we had a lot more than we thought - around 2 to 3 thousand boats dotted on ships and naval establishments around the world. So, the issue was how to rationalise this lot so we could afford to maintain them all properly. During my first meeting with Neal, he had already analysed the plan, identified its flaws, developed an alternative thesis and then gently pointed out the failure points in what I had thought was a most cunning plan.


Needless to say, he did not do this with any sense of self-importance or a desire to embarrass me, rather he wanted to get at the truth and come up with a plan that we could work jointly together.


His Fleet Wide colleagues also reflected on the softer side of Neal – and although seemingly shy to begin with, once Neal trusted you, he would leave matters to you, but you always knew that he had your back. He was also quite playful and expert at launching paper balls across the office if you were being a duffer.


On a lighter note, because Neal used clever spreadsheets a lot he needed a large computer display to work on which he was finding impossible to get hold of through normal channels. Following a meeting with Director Ships, Neal and Paul spotted an ideal screen on an apparently unused desk. And between the two of them managed to disconnect it and scarper half-way down the floor plate, before being apprehended and having to do the walk of shame and return it.
(Land).

Neal’s next step was away from his career anchor in Maritime, moving to become the Director of Land Equipment supporting the Army in its efforts in Afghanistan, and particularly with the rapid deployment of vehicles to provide greater levels of protection against the land mine threat – he was excellent at this, moving at pace with his army colleagues to get the vehicles into the field – but taking each vehicle related loss of life very personally.

Lt General Paul Jacques noting that he always had a wicked sense of humour that could be very dry but always accompanied by a twinkle in his eye. He was also the most inquisitive man he had ever met, pulling at threads of complexity to ensure he understood every interaction and nuance.  He was a man who wanted to really understand how things worked, events happened and what people thought.  At times this could be infuriating because he would not let something that did not make sense, pass.  He would push at it until it gave or as often happened, he took it on. He was always focused on delivering the stuff that soldiers and servicemen and woman needed. He was at his best and happiest when he was working in urgent operational requirements where his ability to think laterally meant that good equipment was delivered quickly.  


Director Ships
And then back to maritime on promotion to be Director Ships Support with one of the broadest and most complex portfolios. His understanding of the industrial tapestry was second to none, and he was expert in strategically steering our approach to deliver better for the Royal Navy. This was not easy but he was bold, innovative, and invariably right, despite the regular protestations of industry who had grown accustomed to getting their own way.


There was much on his plate – with some extraordinary contracts replaced on his watch perhaps the biggest being the Future Maritime Support Programme where his design and ability to drive it through to success was extraordinary. And whilst it was a contract that saved the nation billions of pounds, Neal always worried that his greatest commercial success would always be celebrated because he managed to get a Greggs Bakery built inside the Faslane Nuclear Submarine base.


During this period Neal was also made a Rear Admiral in the Royal Corp of Naval Constructors and after much cajoling by his work family – Mike and Sophie, he was eventually persuaded to don his new uniform tail coat to an important function, privately offering that he felt something of an imposter, but looking notably smarter than he had ever done, despite his hair consistently failing the regulation length test.


In his final role for the DE&S, Neal was promoted to 3* where he acted as DG Ships – perhaps the finest accolade he could have achieved in the Civil Service and really demonstrating the extraordinary regard in which he was held.


Softer Side
Now, Neal wasn’t always known for his pink and fluffy side, saving that for those who knew him the best, but it was there, often hidden under a cheeky grin or a jokey mischievous comment. He was very keen to support a close female colleague in her re-entry into the world after getting divorced …He set her up on a number of blind dates, most of which were complete disasters, but all needed to have post-date analysis which was of course recorded in a Neal designed spreadsheet compete with algorithms! Neal did have a thoughtful and gentle side and, in a bid, to find her that perfect man, she was particularly grateful when he posted a 60ft image of her on Widcombe church Spire. I have the photographic evidence for those who don’t believe me. 


I want to wrap this up with a few quotes and then some thoughts of my own.


From Sir Simon Bollom who led the DE&S;
"I always had a great respect for his sharp intellect, and complete immersion in sorting out complex problems – in fact there was nobody better at this. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Neal, and I can safely say that he was universally admired and respected – he then goes on to say that he will really miss their text exchanges about the state of rugby at Bath and just as his team turned the corner"

From VADM Paul Marshall – the current Director General Ships.

"Neal’s contribution to the Royal Navy through his work within the Civil Service, particularly in the vital areas of ship support and acquisition were both remarkable and widely respected. His tireless dedication to ensuring the operational readiness and future capabilities of the Royal Navy have left an indelible mark on our nation’s defence. His super-power has been described as his natural ability to seize a complex problem, deconstruct it and then re-explain in a way that everyone could understand – a very rare talent."

And from Sue Mostyn who supported Neal for many years in the programme office;
She noted his fantastic ability to deliver a presentation with no notes but was always absorbed by the way he seemed to tap his fingers on the palm of his hand as if that was bringing it all into his head. He was such a good presenter who kept his audience engaged.


And finally Anna Lawson;
When he was lying outside fighting his illness back in 2019 – with his eyes closed – Anna would often say – you take it easy love – to which Neal would always reply – I am creating intellectual capital.


Neal was different. In a world of uniformed military types, talking confidently about stuff they didn’t really understand, Neal could have been forgiven for trying to emulate them – but let’s be honest he was never going to follow suit. Rather, he would avoid schmoozing, keep his opinions to himself until asked and then invariably stun the room with the depth of his insight, plain speaking logic and ability to fix stuff.  He was the consummate professional in articulating why we should go in a particular direction, understanding the data and the human dynamics behind such decisions.


So, how to sum up a guy who did so much, and brought such energy and insight to his work life?
He was something of a maverick.
He was without doubt incredibly gifted.
He talked straight but did so with integrity and purpose.
He outshone all his colleagues intellectually.
In some hands this combination could be dangerous but with Neal there was never any side to him – just a desire to get difficult stuff done, without taking centre stage, or hogging the limelight.
And for those that worked closely with him, it is an old saying, but every day really was a school day.


I would offer on behalf of all those that had the pleasure and benefit of working with him, that Neal was a legend. 


Someone we all remember and refer back to in our minds most weeks. 
Jim Higham tells me that he often thinks “what would Neal do in this situation” ... his influence goes so much further than I suspect he would ever realise.


And so to wrap up, in the Royal Navy of old, our ships would use flag hoists as a form of code to pass messages. You have all seen the Nelsonian Hoist for “England expects that every man will do his duty” before the Battle of Trafalgar.
One of the most famous flag hoists we still use is to hoist Flag Bravo and Flag Zulu and when put together this means well done. So please join with me in a final toast to Neal.


"Bravo Zulu"