Greg Smith ( British Army officer ) Major General Gregory Stephen ' Greg ' Smith , CB , QVRM , TD , DL ( born 18 May 1956 ) is a British businessman . He is a retired officer of the Territorial Army who was the senior reservist of the British Armed Forces . He served as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff ( Reserves and Cadets ) from 2010 to 2013 . Early life . Smith was born on 18 May 1956 in Norwich , Norfolk , England . He is the son of James Lee Smith and his wife Geraldine Mary Smith . He was educated at the independent Norwich School . He went on to study agricultural and food marketing at Newcastle University . He graduated with a Bachelor of Science ( BSc Hons ) in 1979 . Career . Smith was Director of Taylor Nelson Sofres from 1992 to 2000 and Ipsos MORI from 2001 to 2009 . He founded Read Smith Consulting in 2010 . He is a Partner of Knighton White , a philanthropic and social responsibility advisory and management service . He is Chairman of Newcastle University Business School Advisory Board . Military service . Smith was commissioned into the Territorial unit of the The Light Infantry , the 5th Battalion , on 31 July 1983 as a second lieutenant ( on probation ) . He was given the service number 517219 . His commission and rank were confirmed on 4 September 1984 . He was promoted to lieutenant on 31 July 1985 , and to captain on 1 May 1987 . He transferred from the Light Infantry to the Royal Green Jackets as a captain on 15 April 1989 with seniority in that rank from 1 May 1987 . Already an acting major , he was promoted to major on 1 March 1991 , with seniority from 16 October 1990 . He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 11 October 1996 . He was Commanding Officer of the 5th ( Volunteer ) Battalion , Royal Green Jackets . He was promoted to colonel on 1 September 1999 . He was promoted to brigadier , equivalent to a one - star general , on 30 March 2006 . He was then appointed Director of Army Reserves . On 29 March 2010 , he was promoted to major general ( 2 - star general officer ) with seniority from that date and was appointed Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff ( Reserves and Cadets ) . He will hold the appointment to March 2013 . Personal life . Smith married Rebecca Elizabeth Read in 1982 . Together they have two sons and one daughter . He is a member of the Army and Navy Club . Honours and decorations . Smith was awarded the Efficiency Decoration ( TD ) on 22 November 1994 in recognition of twelve years service as a Territorial Army officer . He was awarded a clasp to his Efficiency Decoration on 4 December 2001 in recognition of a further six years service . On 28 April 2009 , he was awarded the Volunteer Reserve Service Medal , having served for ten years in the reserves following the establishment of the award in April 1999 . He was awarded the Queen ' s Volunteer Reserves Medal ( QVRM ) in the 2009 Queen ' s Birthday Honours . On 11 August 2009 , he was awarded a clasp to his Volunteer Reserve Service Medal . In the 2013 New Year Honours , he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath ( CB ) . On 5 June 1998 , he was commissioned as a Deputy Lieutenant ( DL ) by the Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire . He was appointed Aide de Camp ( Territorial Army ) to The Queen on 22 February 2002 . His tenure expired on 1 April 2004 . On 15 May 2009 , he was appointed to the honorary position of Deputy Colonel of The Rifles .