Simon Brooks-Ward

Major General Simon Howe Brooks-Ward, CVO, CBE, TD, VR is a British event organiser and former senior Army Reserve officer. Through his company, The HPower Group, he is most well known for organising large-scale equestrian events worldwide.[1]

Simon Brooks-Ward
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1987–2022
RankMajor General
Commands heldRoyal Yeomanry
Battles/warsIraq War
AwardsCommander of the Royal Victorian Order
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Territorial Decoration
Volunteer Reserves Service Medal

Military career

Brooks-Ward was commissioned into the Royal Yeomanry on 4 October 1987.[2] He served in the Iraq War as the Commanding Officer of the Royal Yeomanry, the only Army Reserve unit to receive a battle honour during the conflict.[3][4] In 2004 he was awarded the Territorial Decoration, and in 2005 he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services in Iraq and to defence.[5] He was subsequently Colonel Yeomanry at Headquarters Royal Armoured Corps and Colonel TA Training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. In January 2012 he was promoted to brigadier and was appointed Assistant Divisional Commander of 3rd (United Kingdom) Division in Bulford.[6] In October 2015 he was promoted to major general and took over as Deputy Commander Field Army, the most senior position in the Army Reserve.[7][8] He retired in June 2022.[9]

Brooks-Ward was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours.[10][11]

Event organiser

Brooks-Ward arranged his first major event at the age of 27, directing the Luciano Pavarotti horse show in Italy. He has subsequently become the director of the Olympia London International Horse Show and the Royal Windsor Horse Show, as well as numerous other major equestrian events.[12]

In addition, Brooks-Ward was the Equestrian Adviser at the 2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, and the site selection and feasibility plans for London 2012, the 2008 TA100 National Pageant, the Windsor Castle Royal Tattoo, the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Pageant,[13] and the BAFTA Award Winning Queen's 90th Birthday Celebrations at Windsor. The HPower Group was the delivery company for the three First World War 100 year anniversary Commemorations; 2015 at St Symphorien Cemetery, Mons, 2016 Somme, and 2017 Passchendaele Commemorations. His involvement in many British state ceremonial occasions led to him being honoured as a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order in 2002.[14] He was promoted to Commander in the same order in the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Honours in recognition of his services during the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.[15]

Brooks-Ward was involved in organising national celebrations for the Queen's 90th birthday in May 2016.[16]

References
  1. Biography Simon Brooks-Ward CVO OBE TD Archived 15 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine from HorsePower International website.
  2. "No. 51399". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 July 1988. p. 7704.
  3. Biography Simon Brooks-Ward CVO OBE TD Archived 15 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine from HorsePower International website.
  4. Lusher, Adam (20 April 2008). "Welcoming the troops at the Windsor Castle Royal Tattoo". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  5. "No. 57665". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2005. p. 5.
  6. Biography Simon Brooks-Ward CVO OBE TD Archived 15 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine from HorsePower International website.
  7. The Daily Telegraph (London), 2015, Senior army appointment, SECTION: FEATURES; Pg. 32, The Daily Telegraph (London), 24 August 2015.
  8. "No. 61398". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 November 2015. p. 21527.
  9. "No. 63760". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 July 2022. p. 13598.
  10. "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N6.
  11. "The Military Division of the New Year Honours 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  12. Biography Simon Brooks-Ward CVO OBE TD Archived 15 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine from HorsePower International website.
  13. Lusher, Adam (20 April 2008). "Welcoming the troops at the Windsor Castle Royal Tattoo". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  14. "No. 56654". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 August 2002. p. 2.
  15. Biography Simon Brooks-Ward CVO OBE TD Archived 15 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine from HorsePower International website.
  16. Rayner, Gordon (20 April 2008). "BBC misses out on showing Queen's 90th birthday celebrations after Jubilee criticism". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
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