Pennon : Business accolade for Pennon Director

Sarah Heald, the Director of Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations at the Exeter-based Pennon Group, has been included in Management Today's 35 Women Under 35 list for 2017.

Sarah said she was delighted to be recognised and share the company of such an inspiring group of women.

Pennon, the FTSE-250 company which owns South West Water, Bournemouth Water and Viridor, has been a driving force in the Back the South West Campaign, launched to promote regional growth.

Sarah joined politicians and business leaders last year to deliver the South West Charter to Downing Street.

Management Today's profile notes that she is one of the youngest ever directors of a FTSE-250 company and references her efforts with regard to the charter, TV commentary on the environment and business response to the challenges facing the region post-Brexit.

Sarah has 10 years of finance and business experience in utilities and infrastructure, having started her career in corporate finance at Bank of America Merrill Lynch then at the Canadian Bank of Montreal. She has a First Class Honours degree from University College London (UCL) in Social and Political Studies with French, including one year at the French University Sciences-Po in Paris.

The Management Today list includes ambitious entrepreneurs to executives from institutions including the Bank of England and the Metropolitan Police.