Andy Smith has taken over as Suffolk's Armed Forces Commissioner, chairing the covenant board and championing the Armed Forces Covenant.
Why it matters: The politically independent volunteer role is crucial for ensuring that Suffolk's armed forces community is not disadvantaged by living and working in the county.
The details: Smith works as a performance manager for a national charity and brings significant military experience to the role, including:
A career beginning with the Royal Air Force
29 years as a Cadet Force Adult Volunteer in Suffolk
Current position as Colonel Cadets for East Anglia
Chairman of the Suffolk branch of SSAFA, the armed forces charity
Service as a parish councillor
Outgoing Suffolk Armed Forces Commissioner Lee Holloway, left, welcomes his successor Andy Smith into his new roleSuffolk County Council
In his words: "I am looking forward to continuing the positive work that Lee and my other predecessors have started," Smith said.
"By combining what I have learnt from my employment, charity work and military service to advocate for all of our armed forces community in Suffolk, I want to ensure they are not disadvantaged by living and working in our lovely county."
What they're saying: Councillor Mick Fraser, Suffolk County Council's Armed Forces Champion, praised the appointment: "Andy has a very strong understanding of the armed forces service provider sector and the welfare needs of our serving armed forces units, so this appointment is really good news for Suffolk's armed forces community."
For context: Lee Holloway served as Suffolk's third Armed Forces Commissioner since March 2022 while also working as chief executive officer of the national armed forces charity the Officers' Association.
Holloway reflected on his time in the role: "Whilst the day job means I'm already delivering to part of the armed forces community, the role of Armed Forces Commissioner for Suffolk has enabled me to engage and learn about local delivery."
"Whilst I've engaged military units, service charities and learnt more about statutory sector services, the role has enabled me to learn about Suffolk as a county too."
The bottom line: The Armed Forces Commissioner volunteers to lead Suffolk's covenant board, ensuring continued support for the county's military community.
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A friendship forged on the football pitch has transformed into one of Suffolk's most trusted sustainable energy companies, with a perfect five-star customer rating and an ambitious vision for a greener future.
Greg Newman and Pietro Lanman might seem an unlikely business partnership at first glance – one a London marketing executive, the other a hands-on electrician – but their complementary skills have created a formidable team tackling the region's growing demand for renewable energy solutions.
From pitch, to pints, to power
The seeds of The Lanman Group were planted on a muddy Suffolk football pitch back in 2017, when Greg, newly relocated from London, met Pietro through the Witnesham Wasps football team that Pietro managed and Greg's son played for.
"Over a pint or two, we figured out that merging both my branding, marketing and business experience with Pietro's electrical and solar installation knowledge could work well," explains Greg. "It quickly became obvious that setting something up from scratch together would be the best option, and The Lanman Group was born."
Pietro brought valuable hands-on expertise to the partnership, having become a fully qualified electrician in 2000 and one of Suffolk's early adopters of solar panel installation work in 2012.
Greg's background couldn't have been more different – after studying at Kings College London and earning his Masters in digital media, he established Higher Ground, a marketing agency in Covent Garden that grew to around 20 staff working with major clients including Deutsche Bank, Land Rover/Jaguar, and Sony.
The Lanman Group team outside their Westerfield officeThe Lanman Group
Powered by purpose
For both co-founders, however, the motivation went beyond business opportunity. With five children between them, creating a more sustainable future for their families was a driving force.
"Having 5 kids across both families, we are passionate about leaving the planet in as good a state as possible for future generations," says Greg. "So doing as much as we could to help the environment on a daily basis was a huge driver for us."
This commitment to sustainability was evident from day one, with the company pledging to plant a tree for every day they were in operation and becoming corporate sponsors of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.
Growing a green reputation
In a competitive market, The Lanman Group has distinguished itself through exceptional customer service – recently being described by one customer as the "John Lewis of Suffolk Solar."
"Starting a sustainable energy solutions business in an already saturated market is a challenge," Greg admits. "But the key for us has been doing something differently, and for us, that's the customer service piece and quality of work."
This approach has earned them a perfect five-star Google review rating – something almost unheard of in the sector.
The Lanman Group take on a broad range of commercial and domestic rooftop solar projects
Steady expansion
Today, the company works across East Anglia, with a number of teams providing solar panel installations, battery storage solutions, EV chargers and air-to-air heat pumps for both commercial and domestic clients.
"We are now 50% commercial projects and 50% domestic work," explains Greg, "covering anything from three panels working off-grid on a beach hut in Wrabness, up to nearly 1,000 panels on the Earlham Institute in Norwich."
Rather than focusing on aggressive growth through external investment, the company has concentrated on maintaining its high service standards and growing organically through customer demand, re-investing internally as they grow.
Milestone moments
Looking back on their journey so far, both founders point to several landmark moments, including "seeing our first branded van and getting our first office at the brilliant Westerfield Business Centre, where we now have the penthouse office!" Greg recalls, before adding "winning our first sustainability award in 2023, to being a finalist in the East Anglian Daily Times Startup of the Year award for 2024" to the list of achievements.
Greg and Pietro at the EADT Business Awards
Local community involvement has also been important to the company's identity. "We've been Platinum sponsors of the Copdock Cricket Club for two years now, and a highlight was definitely seeing all the branding going up there," says Greg. "Another one was also providing the sponsorship for the Witnesham Wasps (where Pietro and I met) and seeing the lads in their new kits."
The team behind the technology
While the company's success can be measured in installations completed and awards won, Greg and Pietro are most proud of the team they've built.
"From Amelia, Roy and Greg in the office keeping everything running smoothly, to Lewis, Malcolm, Pietro and the rest of the installation guys out in the field," Greg says. "There is a really fantastic 'feel good' feeling at The Lanman Group, and that comes across to both our commercial and domestic customers too."
This sentiment is reflected in their unblemished customer feedback.
The bottom line
In an era of spiralling energy costs and growing climate concerns, The Lanman Group has found success by combining technical expertise with exceptional customer service. From beach huts to research institutes to cricket clubs, they're helping the region transition to renewable energy one installation at a time.
The Lanman Group is an award-winning, fully MCS-accredited sustainable energy company with a 5-star rating on Google. From its offices in Suffolk, it serves businesses and homes across East Anglia.
