Success is not about Being a Woman in the Sector – it’s about Having Passion and Doing the Job Well

Despite her recent appointment as an Executive Board Member of both Energy Park Investments Ltd and Energy Park Peterborough Ltd, alongside her continuing role as Project Manager at Peterborough Renewable Energy Ltd  (PREL) in the UK, Helen Rome is modest about her success. What really matters, she says, is that her work makes a difference and that she ensures a standard of excellence across the business.

Helen has worked as a core member of PREL, supporting the team with its vision for achieving zero-landfill over the last 9 years. In November 2009, the company received planning permission from the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to build ‘Energy Park Peterborough’ – the first sustainable biomass power plant in the UK. Helen’s motivation, very much in line with that of PREL, is to see the end of a common attitude that regards waste simply as rubbish, to be buried and disposed of in landfill:

“I don’t agree with sending waste to landfill – it needs to be seen as an asset, both environmentally and financially. The Government has set us high targets for reducing carbon emissions, increasing renewable energy generation and cutting down on the amount we send to landfill, and these are things we can’t just ignore. We need to take responsibility and explore the alternatives. Companies like PREL are offering better ways of managing time, waste and money and it’s down to all of us to support these projects.”

Once built, the 80MWe energypark will take in mixed waste and, through a combination of recycling, gasification and plasma-enhanced waste recovery, recycle and remanufacture it, producing reusable products and renewable energy in the process.

In her Project Manager role for PREL, Helen has taken responsibility for supporting the team of Directors to ensure the smooth running of all its energypark projects, managing all daily strategic and marketing operations of the company and overseeing the work of all project administration staff.

Her success in this role has led to her promotion as a Board Member of Energy Park Investments Ltd and Energy Park Peterborough Ltd, which will heighten her involvement in the development of new company partnerships, and require her to give greater input on more strategic decisions surrounding the operations of PREL and its parent company Green Energy Parks (GEP). As Chris Williams, Managing Director of GEP puts it:

“Helen has been promoted because she’s reliable. She always delivers and she does what she says she will.”

Clearly an accomplishment that stands out in its own right; yet Helen’s success is heightened by the scarcity of other women who have achieved similar positions within the same sector. According to Energy & Utility Skills (EU Skills), only 10% of females employed in the energy and utilities sector have technical or managerial roles – not to mention the proportion of those who have made it to Director Level. Most women within the industry are typically employed in low-level roles.

However, when speaking of how she perceives the advantages of being a woman in waste management, Helen doesn’t think there is much to say on the matter – perhaps part of her key to success:

“I don’t see myself as different from anyone else – I’ve never thought about it like that. I just recognise the importance of the PREL project, both to the team and in terms of the unique solution we’re offering for waste management. So my role has always been about furthering that vision and looking after those around me so that, as a company, we can work to the best of our abilities and really stand out.”

However one might view it, Helen’s willingness to work hard, her ability to learn quickly on the job, her passion for making a difference and her self-belief to challenge the status quo are what make her stand out in waste management. Regardless of gender, these are qualities which all leaders in the industry should aspire towards; attributes which will ensure that new, greener solutions continue being brought forward and supported in the future – helping us to bring landfill to an end, once and for all.