Royal Navy caterer from Yorkshire to meet Nato chief after winning prestigious award
A Royal Navy warrant officer from Yorkshire will meet Nato's most senior military officer in Europe after winning one of the alliance's most prestigious awards.
Warrant Officer Matt Brown has been named the Allied Command Operations Military Member of the Year – marking him out from hundreds of senior ratings and senior non-commissioned officers.
The award recognises the 45-year-old caterer's contribution to the smooth functioning of events and visits by VVIPs to Nato's Joint Force Command headquarters in Naples.
WO Brown will be presented with his award by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Christopher G Cavoli, at his HQ in Belgium.
With a 28-year career in catering services, Matt has regularly been at the heart of key defence engagement events and hospitality.
He was a protocol assistant at Nato's nerve centre in Italy – one of three headquarters responsible for planning and conducting combined exercises and operations by land, sea and air.
WO Brown was also a member of a small multinational team dealing with the highest political and military figures – ensuring the security of visitors, including royals – and sums this role up as "pretty much everything behind the scenes of anything high profile".
He also conducted secondary duties as the Royal Navy's Executive Warrant Officer, overseeing all Royal Navy ranks stationed at the Nato HQ, and volunteered to help make life better for the deployed UK forces and their families.
That included teaching cookery skills to Naples 1st Scout Group, leading the International Food Festival, assisting the International Club with the Great British Brunch and introducing allies to staples of British and Royal Navy life – Burns and Trafalgar Night celebrations.
And to top it all off, he rowed a half marathon for 47 consecutive days – covering half the distance from Italy to the UK with his RAF counterpart cycling the remainder – and raising more than £3,000 for Sunrise Wellbeing Mental Health Services.
Originally from Filey in North Yorkshire, Matt joined the Royal Navy aged 16, spending most of his career in Portsmouth-based warships or with the Fleet Air Arm at Yeovilton.
Matt left Naples in February and is now serving at DE&S Abbey Wood near Bristol, where he's deputy operations manager for "equipment, domestics and habitability".
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