London's Lone Female Managing Director in the Waste Industry: Jacqueline O'Donovan
Jacqueline O'Donovan: A Trailblazer in Waste Management
Jacqueline O'Donovan, the Managing Director of O'Donovan Waste Disposal, is a leading figure in the waste management industry. Recognised as PwC Private Businesswoman of the Year and Growing Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, O'Donovan is known for her innovative approach and hands-on management style.
O'Donovan attributes her success to her ability to think differently from many in the industry and her commitment to managing every aspect of the business. She is also a strong advocate for gender diversity, expressing disappointment that more women do not participate in campaigns to progress within the industry. She encourages women to join middle management to help spread gender diversity throughout the sector.
Born into a family-run business, O'Donovan took over as Managing Director at the age of 19, after her father's death when she was 17. Despite facing challenges in a male-dominated industry, she maintains a resilient stance, stating that she does not cry when faced with difficulties and is able to inspire her team due to her comprehensive understanding of the business.
O'Donovan Waste Disposal, with Jacqueline and her three siblings at the helm, has implemented practical solutions to reduce noise levels and improve safety. For instance, they use 100% recyclable canvas sleeves with Velcro fastenings to cover chains on skip lorries, and have invested in direct vision skip-loaders with glazed passenger doors for better visibility. The company has also saved more than 50% of the footprint of a yard by going vertical with their diesel tanks.
However, O'Donovan believes that a barrier to achieving sustainability more quickly is the difficulty in translating academic plans for the circular economy into practical, understandable solutions for individuals with less academic background. She also expresses concern about the lack of joined-up thinking in the waste management industry, citing an example of an energy-from-waste plant requiring waste to be transported for 5 hours as environmentally unsound.
O'Donovan suggests that women may be more adept at joined-up thinking, as they are often used to multitasking and considering multiple factors in a short space of time. She believes that the lack of communication and collaboration between different sectors, such as architects, planners, construction, and demolition, has led to missed opportunities for innovation, such as the late adoption of BIM for demolition.
With over 185 employees and a turnover of over £21m, O'Donovan Waste Disposal operates 100 heavy goods vehicles for waste management, making it also fall under the logistics sector. Despite her achievements, O'Donovan continues to face judgement based on her gender and blonde hair, and is often the only female in many meetings she attends. Nevertheless, she remains a beacon of inspiration for women in the industry, leading the way in waste and recycling.
- Jacqueline O'Donovan's innovative approach and hands-on management style make her a trailblazer in the waste management industry.
- O'Donovan's success in the waste management industry is attributed to her ability to think differently.
- As a strong advocate for gender diversity, O'Donovan encourages women to join middle management to help spread gender diversity.
- Born into a family-run business, O'Donovan took over as Managing Director at a young age.
- Despite facing challenges in a male-dominated industry, O'Donovan maintains a resilient stance.
- O'Donovan Waste Disposal has implemented practical solutions to reduce noise levels and improve safety.
- The use of 100% recyclable canvas sleeves with Velcro fastenings is one such practical solution.
- The company has also saved more than 50% of the footprint of a yard by going vertical with their diesel tanks.
- O'Donovan believes that a barrier to achieving sustainability more quickly is the difficulty in translating academic plans into practical solutions.
- O'Donovan expresses concern about the lack of joined-up thinking in the waste management industry.
- O'Donovan suggests that women may be more adept at joined-up thinking due to their multitasking abilities.
- The lack of communication and collaboration between different sectors has led to missed opportunities for innovation.
- O'Donovan Waste Disposal operates 100 heavy goods vehicles for waste management, making it also fall under the logistics sector.
- O'Donovan continues to face judgement based on her gender and blonde hair.
- O'Donovan remains a beacon of inspiration for women in the industry, leading the way in waste and recycling.
- Health-and-wellness practitioners can apply O'Donovan's innovative thinking to improve their industries.
- Climate-change activists can learn from O'Donovan's practical approach to reducing a company's footprint.
- Renewable-energy innovators can collaborate with O'Donovan to create more environmentally sound solutions.
- Manufacturing companies can adopt O'Donovan's hands-on management style to improve productivity.
- Entrepreneurship experts can study O'Donovan's journey to leadership as a case study.
- Leadership coaches can use O'Donovan's resilience as an example for their clients.
- Diversity-and-inclusion advocates can highlight O'Donovan as a shining example of a trailblazing woman in a male-dominated industry.
- Cybersecurity professionals can learn from O'Donovan's approach to ensuring the security of her company's data.
- Lifestyle influencers can promote O'Donovan's sustainable practices to their followers.
- Fashion-and-beauty brands can collaborate with O'Donovan to create more eco-friendly products.
- Automotive manufacturers can adopt O'Donovan's commitment to reducing noise levels and improving safety.
- Small-business owners can take inspiration from O'Donovan's journey to success.
- Wealth-management advisors can use O'Donovan's success as a case study for their clients in the business world, reminding them that success is possible regardless of one's background.
