DR SIMONE LOWTHE-THOMAS, CEO, SEVERN WYE ENERGY AGENCY

As the world unites around addressing the big environmental challenges of our time, Simone Lowthe-Thomas is leading the charge at sustainability non-profit company Severn Wye.

Originally trained in Ecology, Conservation and Environmental Management at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, Simone undertook doctoral research into biomass and energy crops – studies foundational to leading an organisation driving sustainable development and renewable energy.

She joined Highnam-based Severn Wye in 2010, pioneering community-owned renewable energy generation projects across Wales. Serving as Head of Community Energy, Director for Wales and later Director of Operations at Severn Wye, Simone became CEO in January 2018. Under her leadership, Severn Wye has built a strong portfolio of innovative projects delivering practical household energy efficiency, renewable energy, biodiversity, low-carbon education, community regeneration and business energy services –representing millions of pounds of investment into the sustainability of the region.

CARMEN WATSON, CHAIR AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, PERTEMPS

Carmen is Chair and Managing Director of Pertemps, a £500 million-turnover business based in Meriden, Warwickshire that has around 150 UK offices.

She joined Pertemps as a secretary in the 1970s and quickly rose through the ranks. By the age of 24 she was running a £5 million turnover branch in Wolverhampton.

Carmen joined the Board aged 30 and is a staunch advocate of equality and diversity, believing that everyone should have equal opportunity to shine and progress.

She had led the UK recruitment company for more than 13 years, supported it through challenging business climates, implemented a strategy which has driven growth, and positioned Pertemps as a market leader, servicing a broad range of industries and public-sector bodies.

By promoting and delivering best practise in attracting, recruiting and retaining a diverse range of talent, Carmen’s strategy has delivered an impressive client portfolio and won many industry awards. She believes that the UK’s service-based economy must be supported by a strong underbelly of good talent management practices with diversity and inclusion at the fore.

She sits on Business in the Community’s Race Equality Leadership Team, is a Fellow of the Institute of Recruitment and Employment Confederation and is Trustee and Chair of the Women in Business Patron’s group of the Lord Mayor of Birmingham’s charity.

Carmen is also a sponsor of the Women of the Year awards and Commissioner for the HRH Princess Royal Training award, which celebrates employers which have created outstanding training and skills development programmes.

screen through to the finished product. The variety of end users of our product is quite diverse. I also enjoy the challenges facing companies such as ours,” she said.

“It would be great to see more women in the machine shop – we currently have one woman who has qualified with us through an apprenticeship, and one woman in the assembly area. Our engineering department is 50/50 split.”

Recruitment governing body, the Institute of Recruitment Professionals presented Carmen with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. The same year she was named West Midlands Director of the Year by the Institute of Directors.

For the last three years Carmen has been named in the Staffing Industry Analyst’s top 100 Global Recruiter list.