Royal Navy's first female admiral takes command

Rear Adm Jude Terry said being a woman was irrelevant to her post

A Jersey woman has became the Royal Navy's first female admiral.

Jude Terry, 48, takes the helm as Director of People and Training and Naval Secretary after nearly 25 years' service.

Rear Adm Terry is responsible for more than 40,000 regular and reservist sailors, Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary staff and civil servants.

She said being a woman was irrelevant to her post and rank and that "someone has to be first".

Rear Adm Terry with her predecessor Rear Adm Phil Hally aboard HMS Victory

"The world has changed in terms of what people want from life and careers, whatever their gender, and the navy needs to work to modernise our organisation to support this change - a diverse and inclusive workforce is a better place for all but is also proven to deliver better outcomes," Rear Adm Terry said.

First Sea Lord, Adm Sir Ben Key said Rear Adm Terry was "a great example of all the amazing women serving today. and a role model for all who serve and those who follow".

She took the reins of her department from her predecessor Rear Adm Phil Hally following a ceremony aboard HMS Victory in Portsmouth.

She joined the navy in 1997 as a 24-year-old graduate and only planned to stay for eight years.

At the time, no female officer had commanded a warship.

During her career, Rear Adm Terry has travelled all over the world, saying one of her best memories was her first deployment, where she visited 19 countries in nine months on HMS Boxer.

She has served aboard survey vessel HMS Scott, and twice with helicopter carrier HMS Ocean.

Rear Adm Terry also helped to plan the withdrawal of UK fighting forces from Afghanistan and was among the first personnel on the ground in Sierra Leone during the successful operation to stop the spread of Ebola in 2014.

It was announced in May that Rear Adm Terry, then Commodore, would be the navy's first female admiral

She said her new role was a reflection on how careers in the navy were structured.

"The system was created a long time ago, part of my job is to modernise that system to make sure that everybody can join, no matter your gender, no matter where you're from, and to make it a really inclusive career," she said.

She said it was an "honour and a privilege" to be the first female admiral in the Royal Navy, but that she "won't be the last".

"It's great to have ultimate authority and responsibility for the people in the navy. I just need to make sure that we give them and their families the best experience we possibly can," she said.

Her work will include making the navy more inclusive, including making standard-size uniforms more suitable for all people, she told BBC Radio Jersey.

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