We recently had the privilege of engaging in an insightful conversation with Business Leader Jacqueline O’Donovan OBE, a multi-award-winning serial entrepreneur, Board Advisor, and Non-Executive Director. Bringing more than three decades of leadership across complex industries, Jacqueline has earned a reputation for successfully leading organizations through challenging environments.
As the former Managing Director of O’Donovan Waste, she led the company for over 36 years to become one of the UK’s leading names in construction waste, logistics, and recycling. With multiple awards for both her personally and the business. Today, Jacqueline O’Donovan OBE keeps active by working with boards, empowering organizations to build sustainable businesses, along with consulting in her fields of expertise and public speaking on subjects close to her heart.
Spark Behind the Journey
We started the interview by asking, “What first inspired you to pursue your current industry or professional path? Was there a defining moment or influence that shaped your direction?”
Jacqueline shared, “It was more of a need than an inspiration for me. When I had just left school in the late 80’s, my late father passed away totally unexpectedly at the age of 51, so my three siblings and I picked up the reins, reduced its size, and basically started from scratch. That is when O’Donovan Waste was born, in 1988, with me at the helm as Managing Director at the age of nineteen.”
Navigating through Challenges
Challenges are a part of every journey. To learn about a significant challenge Jacqueline O’Donovan OBE faced in her business, and how she successfully overcame it, we asked her to share the same.
“Throughout my life, I have faced many challenges, both personally and professionally. Within my career, the first major challenge was the construction recession in the UK in the early nineties. In the late nineties, I had my son and experienced chronic postnatal depression for three and a half years, whilst still running the business. Then along came the financial recession, which led us to a further downturn in the economy, with Brexit looming and the uncertainty it brought with it. And finally, Covid was a huge blow,” Jacqueline reflected.
Envisioning the Future of Construction
Interested in understanding Jacqueline O’Donovan OBE’s perspective on emerging market trends, we asked, “What key trends or changes do you foresee shaping the future of your industry over the next 3–5 years?”
She explained, “The ever-growing demand for the service industry to produce and to deliver ‘now,’ also the lack of a low-skilled and skilled workforce, is going to impact this even greater than it currently is. Along with the desire of businesses to reach environmental targets, which is going to impact the construction as well as the wider built environment, it is going to be huge and burdensome.”
Plans we asked Jacqueline O’Donovan OBE
We then asked, “What are your long-term aspirations for your role, and what strategies are you implementing to reach them?”
Jacqueline mentioned, “I aspire to show the other independent businesses how they could reach their aspirations regarding their ESG in diverse ways, having little or no impact on the bottom line, other than a positive one.
The construction industry has, for many years, had a name associated with poor work ethics and low standards. So, I always challenge the rhetoric, trying to make the industry look for outside-the-box solutions and have a positive impact.”
Embracing Technological Advancements
Nowadays, AI is across every sector. To learn more, we asked Jacqueline O’Donovan OBE, “How do you see artificial intelligence and emerging technologies influencing your industry or business model?”
She added, “The technology industry is going to completely reshape the construction industry. With 3-D printed homes already being produced, alongside the robotic capabilities that take a fraction of a human’s time to carry out the same, currently very physical task. As technologies merge, the impact felt will be even greater.”
Values at the Root of Leadership
Intrigued to learn the core values or guiding principles that influence Jacqueline O’Donovan OBE’s decisions and the way your organization operates, we asked her to highlight the same.
Jacqueline reflected, “At the forefront of my decisions were the impact it would have on the staff, the client, and the environment. After assessing all the possible impacts, I continue with a task. I would spend at least 80% of my time in the preparation stage of any major decision and 20% in the delivery, which I believe served me very well in my time in Waste Management for so many years.”
Innovation and Growth in Business
Innovation is one of the key factors behind impactful outcomes. So, we asked, “Can you share an innovative strategy or approach that helped your company stand out or achieve a breakthrough?”
“Our family business stood apart from the competition because I put people before profit. I invested in the staff who, in turn, invested in the business. Having this investment from the staff enabled us to work in a safer, more productive environment, having a positive impact on the bottom line, while reducing our insurance enhanced reputation. With a people-centric approach, I made it a happy and healthy workspace,” she stated.
Evolution of Jacqueline O’Donovan OBE as a Leader
Lastly, we asked, “How has your leadership style evolved throughout your journey, and what lessons have shaped your approach to leading teams or businesses?”
Jacqueline shared, “I thrive to demonstrate a shift in working style progressively to an inclusion model. As more staff are included, productivity goes up, profits are up, and job satisfaction reaches an all-time high. Expenses like insurance were at an all-time low, a healthier and happier workforce, productivity rises, less downtime for the vehicles, and everyone has an ‘I can do’ attitude.”
Connect with Jacqueline O’Donovan OBE on LinkedIn to gain industry insights.
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