Profile: Fleur Sexton DL

education, among others as the regional economy focuses on growth through a combination of the West Midlands Combined Authority and local councils.

“We’re doing a lot of work training up teaching assistants, for example,” said Fleur, “Because there is recognition that this is one of the sectors where there are skills gaps.

“There’s a laser focus on those now. And we can support.”

The company has also turned its own HQ in Westwood Heath, Coventry, into a live careers work experience centre.

It offers real-life opportunities to Year 10 to Year 13 students to get to know the world of work and includes everything from AI through to HR and contracts as well as pathways and planning on how to achieve these aspirations.

“We will have all sorts of different activities, such as AI labs, coding labs and other elements of working life along with progression pathways to get there,” said Fleur.

“We've got all these different areas that young people can take part in. It’s all in line with the Gatsby benchmarks, so that's a really exciting piece of work.

“When the GCSEs are over, then we'll be welcoming students from all over the region in to work on really exciting real-life projects.

“In general, it’s just really important that we are matching young people with opportunities that match their passions and interests. That’s where they can really make an impact in the world, but also where the economic need is.”

Thirty years on from establishing PET-Xi, Fleur is a positive believer that a business can only work if it is driven by a passion for the product or service, rather than just profit alone.

“I think this is the only way to set up a business,” she said. “Just do what you love and believe in. Sometimes people set up a business because they want to make money, but unless you truly, truly love it, it will be too hard. I love PET-Xi, I really do. I think of this place like my fourth child.

“I love everything about what we do, the real sense of purpose and the people who work here. I know about their families and we’ve seen team members become lifelong friends. We’ve even had marriages! “It's not all ups. You know there are hard times and there are great times. You can only take those hard times if you are absolutely passionate about what you do.

“I know that if I wasn't here doing this, I’d be doing it as a volunteer. That's what I talk to young people about. I ask them: ‘If you didn't have to work, what would you do?’

“Sometimes when you’re working with young people you have to cut through what they are saying and see that they have, say, a love of being with people. So, hospitality might be the answer for their career.

“Business is very personal to me. It's about people. It's about young people, helping them to find their purpose and their “why”. It's about getting people into jobs, which is really important because it's not only how they earn money, but also about how they contribute to their community. It’s their place in society. It’s their purpose.”

As well as supporting the learning and education of the thousands of individuals touched by PET-Xi over the past three decades, Fleur’s own three children have been the beneficiaries of her experience.

Her eldest son, Jake, 25, who started as an apprentice and also worked at JLR before returning to PET-Xi, has taken on the role of chief commercial officer and is very much part of the succession plans for the business.

“I have no plans ever to retire,” said Fleur, “But I do have plans in the next 10 years where I would like to be working at least 60 per cent of the time back in a classroom with young people and those who are not in education or employment.

“I want to go back to working on the ground, creating learning materials, working on different approaches, working on specific problems rather than full time actually running the day-to-day business.

“Jake is already responsible for a lot of areas within the business, especially on the operational and processes side. That's something that he's exceptionally good at.

“He believes 100 per cent in the vision. He loves the learners and what we are all about as an organisation.

“I know some people have got rules not to talk business at home but we've never had those rules. We've always done it, and I actually think that's been a good thing because Jake and our other children, Kate and Lara, have seen what it’s like to be in business.

“They've seen celebrations. They've seen times when it's been really hard. They've seen the sacrifice and the commitment to the team and the devastation when you have to let people go.

Profile: Fleur Sexton DL

Born: Kenilworth

Live: Coventry

Married: Chris. 31 years ago

Hobbies: My six dogs, cello, piano

Children: Jake 25, Kate 20, Lara 15

Favourite Book: New Testament

Favourite Film: Because of Winn-Dixie

Last Holiday: France with my family last summer

Gadget: Air fryer

“I think that's really important because when you're bringing kids up, all you've got is your life. You don’t teach kids theoretically. They learn by how they see you behaving and how they see you responding to people. How do you deal with it when things go wrong and how do you solve problems?

“That's life.

“My mum also joined the business when I had Jake and worked for 20 years on sales and pastoral support in the business and she was amazing! My dad joined when he retired as a professor to work on quality and examinations.

“I work with my sister too who is a solicitor, and my daughters, nieces and nephews have spent time at PET-Xi in their holidays. It’s got a real family feel because it’s a real family business!”Fleur added: “Jake is far better than me at the processes and organisational structure and that side of it.

“I want to get myself back to what I started doing this for, that would be perfect. I started in the classroom and the business started because of a passion – a fire – and spending more time back on the ground is my ambition over the next decade.

“By then I will have been in business for 40 years and I think it will be amazing to spend more time back on the ground working with our learners, because they’re the reason why I do this!”