Ms O’Donovan was awarded the honour for services to recycling, safety and to industry on Friday (16 June).
She became managing director of O’Donovan aged 19, growing the company’s revenues from £175,000 annually to more than £20 million. Last year, the company was acquired by Nordic construction waste business Sortera, with O’Donovan staying on as chief executive.
While at the helm, Jacqueline built a successful company that now “leads the way in safety, ethics, and sustainability. She implemented a raft of safety and environmental practices that have revolutionised the sector,” a statement from the company said.
I cannot express how honoured I am
- Jacqueline O’Donovan
‘Honoured’
Ms O’Donovan explained that she cannot “express how honoured I am at being recognised with this OBE for my work within recycling, waste, sustainability and safety.”
Ms O’Donovan added: “To come from such humble beginnings, and to leave school with little to no qualifications and do a job that I absolutely love in an amazing transforming industry is such a surreal feeling.”
“Having attended local state junior and senior schools and recalling my teachers telling me to listen or I wouldn’t get a job, makes me chuckle, and proves that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. I am blown away with this recognition and truly honoured.
“To wake up on Saturday morning to messages of congratulations from Lord’s, Professors and many friends and colleagues is a dream come true.”
Background
Ms O’Donovan’s parents moved from Cork in southern Ireland in the 1950’s to northwest London where all four O’Donovan children were born.
All six members of the family living in a cramped one-bedroom flat until Jacqueline was aged five and the family moved to north London.
Her father, Joe, died in 1985 aged 51 and Jacqueline and her siblings took over the company, where she became managing director, aged 19.
She has received a host of accolades for her work, including the PwC UK Private Businesswoman of the Year, Growing Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, Building Awards Female Leader, Institute of Directors Family Director of the Year Award, Business Post Global Irish Diaspora Business Leader of the Year Award, as well as being recruited onto the independent judiciary panel of the 2022 EY Entrepreneur of the Year UK programme and named Woman of the Decade in Enterprise and Leadership by the Women’s Economic Forum.
Agency
Ms O’Donovan was the only person noted for services to waste or recycling, though there were many for the environment.
Dr Michael Olatunde Kehinde equality, diversity and inclusion champion at Environment Agency was awarded an OBE for public service, while Alan Christopher Henshaw, team leader at the Agency, was awarded an OBE for services to the environment and to freshwater fisheries.
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