Lee Kirby, Salute Co-Founder and retired Army Colonel, interviewed Scott Dunbar, a Royal Air Force Veteran and current Senior Director for EHS in EMEA for Salute.
Before we get started, our readers would love to learn a little about you. Can you share some details about your childhood “backstory”?
I grew up in a small village outside of Perth, Scotland, funnily enough I now live in the same village after all my living and working around the globe. I had a happy childhood and in a village we all knew each other so getting into trouble meant that your parents soon found out. As a youngster I delivered milk to people’s homes so 6 days a week I was up at 4am delivering milk before getting ready for school. During the school holidays I worked on the dairy farm, so I have always had a good work ethic. My father was a WW2 vet and served in the Royal Navy before during and after the war, he was on several ships and served on HMS Ajax when they helped sink the German battleship Graf Spee, he got injured and had shrapnel lodge next to his heart but it was too close to remove it so they left it there all his life.
And what are you doing now?
I am the Senior Director EHS for EMEA and in my time with Salute we have had major growth so that brings its own challenges and opportunities to ensure everyone is safe and understands all the risks and hazards of their job. In EMEA we operate in over 12 countries, each with its own legislation so that is one of the biggest hurdles I face.
I am also a mental health first aider and have always stood up for those who need help, my wife jokingly calls me St Jude, patron saint of lost causes, desperate situations and impossible causes. I think everyone should have a voice and if I can help support that I will. Within the EU there are quite specific regulations regarding mental health at work, so I have been working at creating guidance and training.
In my spare time I follow my local football team and have been researching my family tree, I have managed to go back to the year 895 discovering I am a direct descendant from several Scots Kings and nobility.
Can you tell us about your military background?
When I told my parents I was going to enlist my father told me not to join the Navy, if I did, I would be banned from the house, he never spoke about the war, but it took its toll on him. So, I joined the Royal Air Force in the transport department, I just loved the idea of driving all types of vehicles all over the country. I served 12 years and lived in the UK and Germany for four years, I had a few deployments including the Falklands, Spain, USA, Norway and Italy several times and a deployment during the first gulf war supporting the 1st Armoured Division. I ended up as an instructor training people to drive anything from cars and arctic trucks to twin-rig refuelers and towing aircraft. I was offered to extend my service in the RAF to 22 years but having a young family I turned it down so they could be settled in one place. I still regard it as the best job of my life.
Would you mind sharing the most interesting story from your military career? What “takeaway” did you learn from that experience?
Camaraderie, plain and simple. We were family and looked out for each other, the RAF was very good at looking after the whole you, not just at work. We worked hard and I assure you, we played hard as well. During my time I learned very quickly from deployments with the army and navy that the RAF were the best treated of the services. We had a saying “The Navy, the oldest service guided their way by the stars at sea, the army slept under the stars, and the RAF, well, we rated our hotels by them”
As a driver I spent some time as a VIP driver, I have driven the Queen mother, Duke of Kent, several politicians and even Casper Weinberger when he made a surprise hush hush visit to one of our bases. Each one of them was very personable and would talk to me and seemed really interested in what I had to say, either it was all part of their job, or they were interested in others. So, I learned that we are all human, no matter what title, rank or standing in life, we all matter.
Do you believe your military experience helped prepare you for business or leadership? If so, how?
Always keeping a sense of humour and don’t take things personally. You must know what you can influence and what you can’t and take it from there. Also, try and look from all sides any decisions that have been made, try and look at it from all perspectives so you have a balanced outlook, it will help in your decision making.
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person you're grateful to who helped you reach where you are today? Would you mind sharing a story?
When I was at one base, the Station Commander, who later went on to become Marshal of the Air Force, the highest RAF position, was Sir Michael Graydon, every month he invited 5 couples from the rank and file for a dinner party in his house, he was very much a people person and went out of his way to get to know his troops. Even the single guys and girls would be invited to BBQ’s, so they were also included. He was a natural leader, and we would do anything for him, he was a big influence in my military career and maybe gave me the same ethos of caring for others and to help where I could.
An example of the man is the following true story, when I was on night shift we would get a call from the secure comms centre to go to the local takeaway late on Friday night, we got used to this so I would answer the phone with lines like “War office do you want a fight” totally unprofessional, so anyway I answered this one night with “heaven duty angel speaking” and the reply was not the comm centre, it was the boss, Sir Michael Graydon, all he said was “Scott, this god speaking come and pick me up and take me home”. He was in the mess enjoying some drinks and wanted a ride home.
If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most good to the greatest number of people, what would it be? - You never know what your idea might spark.
I want to help create workplaces where success does not come at the expense of mental health and wellbeing. Too many people silently struggle with stress, burnout, anxiety, and pressure while feeling they have to hide it to appear strong or professional. We have normalised exhaustion, long hours, and constant availability, but the reality is that no job should cost someone their health, happiness, or peace of mind. Mental wellbeing should be treated with the same importance as physical safety in the workplace.
My hope is to inspire a culture where people feel safe to speak honestly about how they are doing, where leaders are trained to support people and not just performance, and where checking in on someone’s wellbeing becomes as natural as asking about their workload. By encouraging healthier conversations, stronger support systems, and a better balance between performance and wellbeing, we can create workplaces where people do not just survive their jobs but genuinely thrive in them.
How can our readers follow you online?
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