Polly Marsh was born in Kingston-upon-Thames in 1970. She attended Aberconwy secondary school in North Wales and took an engineering foundation course at UMIST before reading Molecular Biology at Manchester University. She joined the Officer Training Corp in 1990, and first attended The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1992, commissioning as a reserve officer into general service. She joined 101 Royal Engineers (EOD) in 1994, and after returning to RMAS on a regular commission course she joined 16 Regt Royal Artillery.
After leaving The Army in 1998, she moved to New York and worked in luxury travel and African wildlife conservation from New York and London. After the birth of her first child in London, she founded her own manufacturing and retail company with a friend and moved to Somerset, where she worked for 17 years as Director of Finance and Operations at Cuddledry Ltd, an established brand in the global nursery market. She also worked as a freelance facilitator for a youth development and expeditions company.
In 2018, Polly was asked to rejoin the army reserves to take up a position on the Youth Engagement Team for The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst where she worked with the Centre for Army Leadership and British Army Supporting Education. In 2023 she took on the role as CEO of The Ulysses Trust, a charity that supports the development of confidence and resilience in cadet and reserve forces, through the power of Adventure and Challenge.
She has been a Governor of local state schools, she sits on the board of three charities, and supports many others. She is a serving reservist in the army, and is a Deputy Lieutenant for the county of Somerset, and a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Polly has a passion to help people of all ages develop confidence and resilience, values and skills - through challenge and adventure – and to make sure everyone realises the life-changing opportunities available to them through cadet and reserve forces.
