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- CAREER -
Innovator. Focus. Passion. That is how you would describe Jacqueline O’Donovan when you meet her.
Jacqueline is the Managing Director (MD) of O’Donovan Waste, an award-winning, independent, family-run company. What’s it like being the leader of the most successful and innovative waste company? We chat to her about her roles within the family-owned company, bringing the waste industry into the 21st century and tackling men’s perception of her when she walks into a room.
O’Donovan Waste Ltd focuses largely on recycling. Waste is such a big topic now in our society with brands only just banning plastic straws. McDonald’s was the last fast-food company to get rid of plastics straws and introduce paper ones. When I asked about this, Jacqueline stated it’s simply a token gesture. She asked, “What about the rest of the plastic in the shop?” Plastic plays a huge role in our lives and people take it for granted. There is always, always something you can do to change and alter in your daily life to make a difference. Whether it’s simply not buying a plastic bag, re-using bags or completely getting rid of as much plastic in your life as possible. There is always something. And it most certainly paid off.
Jacqueline left school with no qualifications, no experience and an incredible amount of responsibility of taking over the business at just 17 years old. Her dad started O’Donovan Waste 60 years ago, but unfortunately, he passed away at the age of 51 from a severe heart attack. Being the youngest of four children, she took to looking after her mum while the eldest took over the business. In the classic Irish tradition, O’Donovan Waste would pass down to the oldest but as Jackie said, “We needed all hands to go to the pump because none of us had intended to go into the business growing up and everything was new territory.” After a couple of years of hitting bumps in the road, changing yards and learning about all aspects of business, Jackie took over.
Jacqueline’s first big purchase was the lease of the yard we were sitting at for the interview. At the age of 19, she was signing a 10-year lease, which she described as signing your life away. From only having 4 lorries and a couple of staff members back then to now having 95 lorries and 160 staff; I would say she has done a damn good job.
When asked about the success she has brought to the company, she simply replied, “I don’t really think about it. I am probably the last person to pat myself on the back.” Her family was discriminated against when they moved over from Ireland in the 50s, a time where there were no Irish. Two adults and four kids were living in a one-bedroom flat, with Jackie in a cot until she was 5. Her parents hustled and worked incredibly hard until one day they were offered investment for their first house. She comes from very humble beginnings and is no way full of airs and graces.
“Men are like a bar of soap, you rub them down and they just melt.”
How did she do it? By training and giving a lot of dedication to her employees. Walking into her office, there was an array of certificates and a whole cabinet of awards. This year O’Donovan Waste is up for even more, despite slowing down on the awards front. They are being recognised as the most innovative waste company in Europe. “Training is the key to any success,” Jackie continues, “people see it as an expenditure but I see it as an asset. You won’t find many men with that thinking either. I am the only MD of a waste company in London.”
When I ask about the feeling of being a woman in this heavily male-dominated industry, she says she has the effect of Moses. “If I walk into a room with a working group with the heads of the waste companies in London, I am the only woman in the room. I can have that effect of Moses parting the sea and I have this aura. Apparently, I scare men off!” Which is definitely not a bad trait to have. There is power when it comes to being a powerful woman in a room of powerful men. You have the power of proving them wrong. In response Jackie had this response, “But it is you see because I am single - it’s not great for the sex life!” Everything has its pros and cons. “Men are like a bar of soap, you rub them down and they just melt.” Jacqueline plays with the men, while the boys play with the boys.
But everyone knows who Jackie is and where she’s from. Between LinkedIn, PR, receiving awards and going on TV, there is hardly a person in the industry who doesn’t know her. After taking part in the Channel 4 programme “The Interview” and talking for a few minutes of the Irish version of Graham Norton, she went viral. “I said a couple of words and that was it. It was good fun.”
Jackie is incredibly hands-on with O’Donovan Waste. There is not a single part of the business where she isn’t involved in. Press and PR is something she definitely gets her head down and works with constantly. One example is becoming a sponsor for an Ed Sheeran gig in Camden. What an opportunity to get your name out there? The PR team was wary but Jackie followed her gut and it paid off. She designed O’Donovan Waste baseball caps and the amount of international press they received because of it was insane. She said, “I chuckled to myself that I let a member of staff doubt myself.” Well, never again.
How runs a million miles an hour and still manages to keep calm, I don’t know. There is rarely any situation where she panics. If she panics, you know something is wrong and that’s when you need to panic. If you are someone who gets flustered or can’t handle her directness, then you won’t last very long.
A good tactic she uses during interviews is to have constant phone calls coming in that she has to pause the interview and answer. She’s a busy woman! What the interviewee doesn’t know is that it is just a friend back in Ireland calling her back after Jackie rings her. ”It’s a test. If they couldn’t cope with how busy I was, then they would never be able to stick with the job. You should have seen some of their faces, you’d swear I’d have spat in their face.”
Stress isn’t a concept for Jackie. She nicely sums it up as “Pressure is only for tyres.” Jackie is the most patient person in the company, putting it down to being a Libra, she weighs up options and makes a decision. Simple. There is no such thing as a problem, according to Jackie, there are only challenges. “One day, I spotted a fire extinguisher go into the shredder. The minute that gets punctured, it goes off like a rocket. The man working the yard shouted up to get away from the windows and I knew straight away. I jumped off the chair, down to the floor under the desk. We had a salesgirl who just looked at me and went are you serious. That was the only time I’ve had an immediate reaction.” It is all about the concept of flight or fight. For Jackie, the only thing that stresses her out is her son. But at work, she takes everything on the chin and just gets on with it. She is a hustler.
Jackie has made it her mission to bring the waste industry out from the 20th century into the 21st. She is innovative and it comes from the basic fundamental needs of working in any environment; let alone waste disposal. “I am trying to show big companies that if we can change as an independent, they can too.” Competitors are slowly appearing on the awards list because they’re jealous.
Factors such as well being and Direct Vision initiatives all contribute to their success. Direct vision is about providing more visibility of vulnerable road users to the drivers which include disabled people, kids, and cyclists. O’Donovan has the largest direct vision fleet in London and it is investment companies need to make. Having state of the art factories with negative pressures allows for a cleaner atmosphere. The dust particles never leave the building. You can see the factory if you are flying into Heathrow Airport, especially at night when it is lit up with huge letters spelling out O’Donovan Waste in red. Bank managers were hesitant. But she pushed it and got what she wanted. There are so many plans in the pipeline, so it doesn’t look like she will be stopping anytime soon.
Having a well-being programme was seen as essential for Jackie to help the mental health of drivers in the construction world. According to statistics, two construction workers commit suicide every week. Regardless that O’Donovan isn’t in construction, it was necessary to bring that out. It teaches the drivers breathing techniques which lead to them making more informed and calm decisions. Drivers are also soon getting TomTom tracking systems fitted, which will give the driver instructions to make them better. This includes everything from having a seatbelt on to the correct tyre pressure. “If tyre pressure is off it costs 5-10% more fuel which is a big expense.”
Jackie never stops learning and teaching herself to become better for not just herself, but the business as well. Throughout her journey, she keeps taking on more active roles which led to becoming a health and safety officer, a teacher for drivers in-training before getting onto the road and writing out 25,000 words on waste demolition for her master’s degree. She is one of the first women seen to be taking on the first masters on the topic of demolition in the UK.
Diversifying the industry is important. So much so that Jackie has been asked by the Department of Transport to be the Vice-Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Unit. Getting more women and attracting them to the industry is hard but it’s one of the main goals in her future. As she says, “once you get in, you don’t want to get out.” She just doesn’t have the time to talk and train them.
It is always going to be about producing and pushing any new and innovative ideas. Technology, robotics and electric motors are something the industry needs more. 0% emissions have been introduced, but as Jackie says, “electric is the future but they haven’t designed anything that can do the job. It’s frightening how far behind the commercial side is rather than cars are.”
The waste industry has changed, but Jackie O’Donovan goes further. She strives above and beyond that. She looks towards the future and the next thing O’Donovan Waste can do to make themselves and the industry better.
There is no turning off for her, nor is there a work-life balance. Jackie’s life is her work. Every day is different and she feels an incredible responsibility for her family and the employees she has. At the end of the day, they have to pay their mortgages and so does she.
If you want more information on O’Donovan Waste, their website is http://www.odonovan.co.uk/
Written by Hannah Mathieson
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