JOINS THE BOARD: Sue Warden-Owen who has become a non-executive director at expanding electronic waste recycling specialist Intelligent Waste Management Ltd (iWaste), based near Reading
Fast growing electronic waste recycling specialist Intelligent Waste Management Ltd (iWaste) has appointed a new director to help steer future business development.
Experienced managing director, NED and management consultant Sue Warden-Owen has joined the board of the Reading-based company as a non-executive director.
She is no stranger to iWaste as she has been working with the team in a consultancy role for seven years.
iWaste was founded in 2013 by Director Sam Prentice and Operations Director Sam Mountain who, after many years working in waste management, spotted a gap in the market for electronic waste recycling.
The business, which employs 30 people and is a leader in the secure, certified destruction of unwanted electronic waste and data, moved to bigger, scalable premises in Arborfield Cross in April as part of strategic growth plans.
Sue began working with the company in 2016 when the then fledgling business won a year’s free mentoring with her in a regional competition for SMEs run by Hampshire Chamber of Commerce for which she was a judge.
She said: “I gave them a year – it was meant to be an hour a month but ended up being more than that. They were pretty small at that point but you could see they were brilliant at what they did.
“They had an exceptional 12 months of growth and when the year ended they asked me to stay on – hence a formal consulting arrangement was established and has continued until now.
“I am delighted to now be joining the board. They are exceptional guys – they listen, implement, are agile and very hard working and are an absolute joy to work with – and it is a big step for them to include someone else on the board.”
Sue, who owns and runs MHL Management Consultants, was previously a non-executive director for three other companies, including in HR and recruitment, and has mergers and acquisitions (M&A) experience.
She added: “My role is really about strategy, advisory, harnessing the team and working very closely with the directors. We are on an exciting growth journey, but there is lots of hard work still to do.
“I am bringing continued strategic advice, governance, ongoing input into growing the team, and the ability to monitor the vital financial situation very closely as the business expands.
“I bring a level of expertise to the board – with my 25 years’ experience of working with businesses, I believe, hugely beneficial to a company such as iWaste.”
Sue is contracted for two days a month on-site, but is involved a lot more, chairing the board meetings and helping with comprehensive cashflow forecasting.
She said: “IWaste were pretty small when I first knew them, but they were very good and they had big ambitions. It is a fantastic business, perfectly pitched in a crowded market and was always ripe for growth.
“What I brought was rigour to the organisation, particularly around the financials, really looking at cost of sales, people costs, marketing and other key areas so that turnover continued to grow but equally the net profit was also really healthy – and that’s what I still do today.”
Director Sam Prentice said: “We had no hesitation in inviting Sue to join the iWaste board – it was a no brainer, the latest step in our ongoing growth strategy.
“She has given so much to the company in seven years after an almost accidental meeting that she is very much, in the nicest possible way, part of the furniture here.
“We look forward to continuing to work closely with Sue. We value her advice and wise counsel hugely and she is an incredible asset who we are fortunate to have.”
iWaste provides electronic waste collection services, secure data destruction, electronic recycling equipment and WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) disposal for businesses across the UK.
It is AATF (Approved Authorised Treatment Facility) licensed by the Environment Agency, the highest accreditation in the waste industry.
Clients include corporations and public sector organisations such as the NHS. iWaste is also a trusted supplier to large national waste companies and facility management companies.
