When it comes to job satisfaction, Chris Thompson-Lang talks about his purposeful work and the freedom to get things done, in his position as Director of Sustainability at Aspen Medical. 

Reinforcing the organisation’s focus as veteran-friendly and realising the benefits of that is his key motivation.  

Chris’ 14-year background in the Australian Defence Force means he can recognise and harness the diversity of veterans’ valuable skill sets. 

Five to seven thousand service personnel leave the ADF each year and, for those leaving with a medical rather than voluntary discharge, as in Chris’s case, the transition to civilian life may be a challenge. 

Any trauma experienced in the military, be that a one-off event or accumulative exposure, can have a lasting effect on one’s psychological state. 

Says Chris, ‘Trauma can influence work performance, and lead to poor decision-making, communication, and situational awareness. That could result in clinical mistakes or suboptimal leadership. 

‘But with early intervention after a medical discharge, there’s an opportunity to transition into meaningful work, where skills sets can be harnessed rather than wasted,’ he continues. 

‘A job gives veterans a far better quality of life rather than just sitting at home on a pension doing nothing. 

The skills, knowledge and attitude that veterans bring to an organisation is invaluable.’ 

With 50 percent of Aspen Medical’s senior management team being veterans, Chris says the company has always been veteran friendly. He’s proud to play a part in the company's goal of formal recognition as a Veteran Employer of Choice. 

After a distinguished career as a combat engineer, with almost nine months spent in Afghanistan where he was involved with the detection and removal of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), Chris struggled to adapt to life back in Australia.  

Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, he once came close to taking his life. 

‘In my time between the military and joining Aspen Medical, I focused on understanding the neurobiological effects of trauma,’ he says, ‘and started to help others with recognising those same effects. 

‘Recovery includes trauma education,’ he says. ‘Trauma-informed leadership recognises the impact of experiences and chronic stress on individuals. When properly done, it draws out the strengths of team members and creates a safe psycho-social workplace.’ 

Initially mentored by two veterans on joining Aspen Medical four years ago, Chris now mentors others to advance within the business ‘It’s about providing support in developing commercial acumen, effective communication in the private sector, and business development.’ 

There’s also a need for a transition process for veterans with a voluntary discharge and this includes providing information about services and entitlements for them in their new civilian life. 

Chris acts as a sounding board for other veterans at Aspen Medical, ready to link them to relevant organisations. These include the Department of Veteran Affairs, RSL, and Frontline Yoga. 

‘Yoga literally saved my life,’ he says, having discovered the activity at his lowest point.  

Going from student to teacher, he co-founded Frontline Yoga in 2016. It provides trauma-aware yoga classes for those at the frontline, such as military, police, firefighters, and healthcare workers, nationally.  ‘The classes are geared towards re-balancing the nervous system, which enhances cognitive and physical performance. It also supports those suffering chronic stress, anxiety or depression.’ 

Chris recently established Vita Nova (New Life), Aspen Medical’s professional network for veterans. It was launched in Veterans’ Health Week in October 2024.  

He describes it as a network of shared understanding and informal mentorship.  

‘When you walk into an organisation like Aspen Medical where your background is understood and valued, that makes your transition from the military a lot easier. 

‘Aspen Medical understands the struggles of veterans and addresses them with respect and dignity.’ 

The military skills that veterans bring to a civilian workplace are many.  

‘Leadership is a big one,’ Chris says, ‘being able to operate comfortably in uncertainty.  

‘Then there’s resource management, and a general attitude to get things done with minimal guidance, to pull teams together at short notice, to fit in and work with others. 

‘If you’re looking for an efficient and effective work team, a mixture of ex-military personnel and passionate clinicians is ideal. 

 ‘There’s a range of Aspen Medical projects throughout Australia and overseas, such as running a field hospital in Somalia, which was set up at short notice because of conflict. That’s the value of employing veterans. We don’t need a long lead time; we make our plan on the way.’ 

Aspen Medical supports the recruitment of veterans and their family members for specific roles in critical operations. 

‘There’s a whole bunch of people here who have been through and can share that military experience,’ he says.  

They include ex-UK military Eddie Irons, who leads the co-ordination of aeromedical evacuations in Karratha, Western Australia. 

‘They’re fast-paced, high-stress situations, with life on the line. Just what we are trained for in the military. 

‘Aspen Medical has another veteran who flew in at short notice to oversee an Aspen Medical project.’  This was running a 24-bed hospital on the island of Lihir, in Papua New Guinea’s New Ireland Province.  

‘What’s exciting is that, as well as being a clinic for a large mining company’s staff, it’s also the primary care hospital for the local population, providing maternity and emergency services. So, there’s a social impact for the community.’ 

Skills gained in the military are put to good use. ‘Operating comfortably in uncertainty came to the fore through COVID-19 where we, at Aspen Medical, ended up vaccinating half of those in Australia’s residential aged care facilities. 

‘Rolling out this vaccination program and delivering clinical teams around the country was a massive logistical exercise.’ 

The role of physical health is important. Says Chris, ‘Vita Nova is a supportive place where we can promote wellbeing activities. You can get stuck in professional rut so there’s encouragement to go out and do something for yourself and recharge the batteries.’ 

Ed Smeaton, another ADF veteran and the General Manager of Logistics and Supply Chain, completed the four-day Cape to Cape mountain bike ride in Western Australia, whilst raising money for disadvantaged youth. 

Chris is happy that there’s a sound level of psychosocial awareness in the workplace,  

‘When veterans go through their health challenges and come out the other side, they can have an increased level of empathy for others.’ 

Employing veterans also brings benefits for civilian staff at Aspen Medical.  

 ‘Coming from the military, you really need to depend on one another during long periods away from home, on exercise or deployment.  

‘Your colleagues become a second family, and that ethos remains, here with my work colleagues. 

‘It’s gratifying to see my civilian work colleagues at Aspen Medical developing deeper and supportive relationships with veteran employees.’ 

Such a two-way process results in a win-win situation. 

At Aspen Medical, we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and those from diverse cultural backgrounds. We are a veteran-owned and managed business, and we encourage ADF veterans with appropriate skills and experience to apply. Check out our Careers pages for vacancies and more.