WINNER:
Sponsored & shortlisted by J & B Recycling
BREAKING THE MOULD
WINNER:
DR RACHEL TAYLOR( SABIC)
“ I’ ve never seen boundaries – if I fancy doing something, I’ ll have a go at it.”
So says Dr Rachel Taylor, whose excellence in the traditionally maledominated petrochemicals world saw her pick up the Breaking the Mould prize.
Based in Teesside, Rachel is the only female in a global team of 10 performance specialists at SABIC, with eight colleagues in Saudi Arabia and one in Europe. But Rachel says that from her childhood days, she’ s never really seen a mould to break.
She told Tees Business:“ When I was young, my dad always told me that if I wanted to do something, do it properly. I asked for a woodworking kid’ s set for Christmas but he said,‘ No, if you’ re going to learn tools, you’ ll learn properly’, so he got me a proper saw and all sorts! So, I’ ve never seen boundaries – if I fancy doing something, I’ ll have a go at it.
“ I don’ t really see a mould – I’ ve always done what I wanted to do.”
A former student at Teesside High School and Prior Pursglove College, Rachel studied mechanical engineering at Warwick University before beginning a doctorate in hydrogen fuel cell technology.
She recalled:“ In my final year, the head of the company sponsoring me sadly passed away, so I had to find a job where I could finish my doctorate and get an income at the same time.
“ I looked at a map of Teesside, found out who was hiring and SABIC were. I’ d never considered petrochemicals but the more I got introduced to it, the more interesting I found it – so I’ ve never used my doctorate since I got it!”
And her message to women and girls thinking of a similar career?
“ If you fancy doing something, just go for it. There are more opportunities now and people are doing work you’ d never have anticipated. There are so many more chances now than when I was younger.”
Winner – Dr Rachel Taylor, right, of SABIC, with Vikki Jackson-Smith, managing director of category sponsor J & B Recycling.
FINALIST: FINALIST:
Josephine Key
( Airbourne Colours)
Trailblazing Josephine is currently the only woman in the UK enrolled on a 21-month training course for aircraft preparation / painting, leading to an internationally recognised qualification. She began the course at Hartlepool College and is now at Airbourne Colours’ Teesside Airport base – the only female in a 24-strong team of trainees.
Ruth McKinlay
( CF Fertilisers)
FINALIST: FINALIST:
Katrina McManus
( Fleet Factors)
In 36 years with the company, Katrina has always encouraged and developed the careers of other women working for Fleet Factors. With knowledge across all areas of the business, financial director Katrina is the“ glue” holding everything together – and she even designed the logo celebrating Fleet’ s 50th anniversary this year.
A WORD FROM THE SPONSOR
With more than a decade of experience across offshore rigs, steelworks and chemical plants, pioneering mechanical engineer Ruth has led multi-million-pound engineering projects, shutdowns and reliability improvements. Her leadership, technical expertise and commitment to excellence make her a standout figure in engineering.
Laura Telford( Holiday Inn Express, Middlesbrough)
Laura has been inspiring her team at the Holiday Inn Express for more than eight years, and her leadership encouraged the hotel’ s owners to open a new aparthotel in Middlesbrough – which Laura also now runs. Cluster general manager Laura works tirelessly to ensure the teams at both hotels have all they need, both personally and in their careers.
Vikki Jackson-Smith, managing director, J & B Recycling: This award celebrates people who aren’ t afraid to do things differently. It’ s about those who step up, think differently and create real change. The finalists have all shown determination, creativity and a willingness to push boundaries. And the judging was really not easy. Congratulations to all of you for making it this far – you’ re all incredible role models and a real credit to our region.
136 | Tees Business