On International Women’s Day 2021, Sophia Jetson, Envirotech Group Business Director, shared her thoughts on her career to date: 

“I first started working with Paul Harrison, (Envirotech Group Chairman) in 2001 and, although some people say he can have a tendency to be a little bit daunting, I certainly never felt that. We got on great right from the very start and built an immediate rapport, so when the opportunity came in 2009 to set-up Envirotech together I had no hesitation at all. 

“We have worked together ever since, building the company up from humble beginnings with just three staff to now employing more than 50 and having a group turnover approaching £20m, which is something that I am incredibly proud of.

“My role with the company has evolved significantly since we first started and now my responsibilities include overseeing Human Resources, Financials, IT and Office Management teams across the Group, while ensuring that we remain compliant throughout all areas of business. I have been given the autonomy to develop the role to best serve the business and I feel that I am in a position to make a real positive impact on how we progress in the future. For example, I oversaw a major project last year to invest in and introduce new software that significantly improved efficiencies for all project managers in relation to tracking their own contract requirements and this has given the business a huge step-forward.

“Adapting to changing circumstances throughout the past year has been challenging for everyone but, as a business, we responded fantastically. As a cloud-based organisation we were well-placed to adjust swiftly and seamlessly in sending all of our staff home without any negative disruption to service delivery. For me personally, homeworking has been absolutely fantastic as I have a seven year-old child homeschooling and the flexibility that the business has afforded during this time has been extremely welcome.

“While our employees have been working from home, Envirotech has remained very mindful of employee well-being and mental health. We are fully aware that some people really miss the office environment and, with this in mind, we ensure that we keep in regular contact with all of our employees through frequent webinars and we already have plans in place for colleagues to begin a phased return to the office once restrictions are relaxed. 

“Although Facilities Management does still remain somewhat a male dominated industry, it is certainly taking positive steps to address this and has changed a lot for the better within the last decade. Personally, I feel that I have never experienced any discrimination in the workplace because of my gender and at Envirotech we very much have a culture of the right person for the right job. Of course, it would be a positive to see more women in senior positions within the industry and I would encourage any other females to just go for it and give it everything that they can to prove that they’re the best person for the job.”