A FORMER Royal Navy weapons engineer is hoping to make a big impact at an accountancy firm.

Gemma Swann, 31, has joined Princecroft Willis in Poole as a VAT assistant after eight years at sea.

Her naval career began in communications aboard HMS Southampton before she transferred to weapons engineering.

After completing her engineering apprenticeship, she became part of the ship’s helicopter deck team, where her duties included prepping missiles for launch.

She went on to serve on HMS Nottingham and the new Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond, spending three years bringing the ship into active service and testing all its weapons equipment.

Simon Anslow, Princecroft Willis’s VAT partner said: “Gemma brings a completely new perspective and dynamic to the team, enabling us to set our sights higher and help target a wider market.”