10 | Tees Business
Serving the Teesside Business Community | 11
When I was at school, I wanted to be…
a PE and music teacher.
The best business decision I ever made
was… to follow through on our commitment
to businesses on Teesside and invest
£20m in new and much needed Science,
Technology, Engineering and Maths facilities
and programmes, notwithstanding the
government’s austerity programme which
has hit the sector hard prompting most to
cut back or postpone investment projects
indefinitely.
The worst business decision I ever made
was… to invest in the development of a new
online learning platform when there are so
many already out there.
The best part of my job is… speaking to
students who come back to visit us – to tell
us how we have changed their lives!
The biggest downside of my working
life is... seeing year on year cuts to the
Further Education system by successive
governments who appear to understand little
about FE and the significant contribution it
makes to the local economy.
TEES
UP!
If I could change one thing to help my
organisation it would be… to improve the
quality of careers guidance offered to young
people leaving school.
Four words to describe me are… energetic,
committed, reflective and fun.
My business mantra is… ‘Do the right
thing’. In other words, when faced with
apparently conflicting options always
make sure you remember what we’re
about – preparing people for work and the
advancement of their careers – and make
sure we ‘do the right thing’.
NAME:
AGE:
BORN:
LIVES:
ORGANISATION(S):
JOB TITLE(S):
ZOE LEWIS
43
ON A FARM JUST OUTSIDE
SALTBURN
STOKESLEY
MIDDLESBROUGH COLLEGE
PRINCIPAL/CHIEF EXECUTIVE
My greatest achievement is… leading
the relocation of Middlesbrough College to
Middlehaven and having my two children at
the same time.
The advice I’d give to business start-ups
is… don’t give up, expect to make mistakes
and then, most importantly, learn from them.
The biggest character on the Tees
business scene is… Steve Gibson – for
his ambition, passion and commitment to
Teesside both through Bulkhaul, MFC and
their associated charity work.
The individual who is my tip for the top
among Tees businesses is… I admire a
number of people particularly those who
continue to strengthen the legacy of local
family owned businesses and expand their
international reach. For example Sharon Lane
from Tees Components and Gary Dawson
of AV Dawson who are both innovating
and expanding long established, family
DON’T GIVE UP, EXPECT TO MAKE
MISTAKES AND THEN, MOST
IMPORTANTLY, LEARN FROM THEM.
owned businesses and have an unwavering
commitment to developing the talent on
Teesside. There is something special about
home grown talent – it always appears to
me that they ensure their business decisions
stand the test of time and don’t just create
short term profit at the expense of longer
term business growth.
Teesside’s a great place for business
because… we have amazing and passionate
people alongside great physical assets
such as the Teesport, Wilton site, amazing
advanced manufacturing technology and a
thriving digital scene – all located next to a
heritage coastline and a national park!
My biggest frustrations about Teesside
are... 1) First and foremost we need more
and better jobs – 42% of jobs currently do
not require education above school leaving
levels and if we want to improve the quality
of life of our local people we need to
improve the types of jobs we grow in and
around Teesside. 2) We need to promote
our strengths more to the outside world
and have a strong and coherent inward
investment commitment which accepts that
any investment in or around Teesside is a
good thing – no matter where it is located.
3) We continue to have an identity crisis.
Teesside, Tees Valley, Middlesbrough, North
Yorkshire, South Tees, Durham, Cleveland –
they are all still used. If only we could agree
on one and build on it like other city regions
have done successfully.
My favourite local charity is… it has to be
Zoe’s Place!
When I’m not working, I like to spend
my time… with my family – whether that’s
snuggled in front of the fire or walking on the
hills!
My guilty pleasures are… chocolate and
wine.
The best holiday I ever had was… South
America – Machu Picchu and the Amazon
rain forest.
Not many people know this about me
but…I dropped out of my A Levels at the
age of 16 because I didn’t feel challenged
enough, was impatient to work and saw
my brother graduate in Micro Biology with
little prospects of a graduate job. I came to
Middlesbrough College on an evening class
alongside work and continued to study and
work until I got my Masters degree. It’s one
of the reasons I am so passionate about ‘on
the job’ training now!
In retirement, I’ll spend my time… walking,
cycling and travelling.