Member Article

21 years in business for sustainability training consultancy

North East-based consultancy Environmental Academy is celebrating 21 years in business.

The business, which operates from Gateshead, provides environmental consultancy and training services to public and private sector clients.

Managing Director Rita Callender has been operating in the environmental sector for 21 years now both in the UK and Europe. One of few women in the field, she has made her mark and is well-known for her inspiring and enterprising attitude.

She has established a national and international presence by providing relevant and bespoke key information, advice and guidance to help companies achieve their sustainability aspirations while meeting their commercial needs. Clients include a range of companies locally representing all business sectors to household names such as Aston Martin and Royal Sun Alliance, as well as project partners in Spain, Germany, France and Poland.

“I am thrilled to be have been running my business in the North East and it’s certainly worth celebrating 21 years of Excellence.

“I enjoy working with my team, associates and clients who have such strong shared values in promoting sustainability in all business sectors. We still have lots of work to do but we are looking forward to continued success in the years ahead.

“We’ve developed a unique approach to face the challenge of supporting businesses and individuals through a period of change,” she explained. “Advances in technology, changes in legislation, expanding global markets, and changing consumer attitudes are all areas where businesses need support to address these challenges.

“We’ve been working with public and private sector clients throughout the UK and in Europe to help them develop Environmental Management Systems (EMS) that are designed to achieve certification to ISO standard 14001.”

To celebrate 21 years in business, The Environmental Academy is hosting a Business Excellence Networking Breakfast on Friday 7 November at their offices at Yours Business Networks Gateshead, 7 & 8 Delta Bank Road, Metro Riverside Park in Gateshead. The event is an informal drop-in celebration, and an opportunity to network with new and existing contacts, and find out how The Environmental Academy could help individuals and organisations achieve their sustainability aspirations. To register, http://click here http://www.eventbrite.com/e/environmental-academy-21st-birthday-business-excellence-networking-breakfast-tickets-13604917675.

Rita started her environmental consultancy in Newcastle in 1993, and in 2006 she merged the established business with her newly-developed training services company, a leading supplier of online and classroom-based environmental and energy management training courses.

The Environmental Academy is now recognised within the industry as a UK Centre of Excellence, and is an approved Training Centre for IEMA (the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment), the largest professional environmental association in the UK. All courses are developed using the company’s substantial experience of the industry.

Norma Foster, of management consultancy Norma Foster Ltd, has worked with Rita for a number of years, and witnessed her transforming the environmental agenda within clients’ companies.

“Rita is incredibly passionate and has a great vision for the Environmental Academy, and yet she is also a realist and very pragmatic. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Rita for some years now and have seen her lead a transformation in the way she engages customers and stakeholders in the environmental agenda.”

ENDS

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Shepherd .