Speedy Hire’s Amelia Woodley: Business Leader of the Year

At a glance: 
Who: Amelia Woodley 
What: Business Leader of the Year 
Where: UK 
When: 2024 
Why: Demonstrating unrivalled ambition and engagement in sustainability 

Speedy Hire was the first UK hire and construction firm to have targets for reaching net-zero approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Key to this milestone, and many more is the company’s ESG Director Amelia Woodley. 

Woodley has more than 20 years’ experience in the sustainability space, and more than 15 years of working on people management, namely by coaching sustainability teams and embedding ESG metrics across organisations so that everyone feels empowered and educated on sustainability matters. 

In her role as ESG Director, Amelia has proved that a visionary approach, a passion for innovation, and a people-focused approach can embed sustainability and drive change. To date, notable achievements include establishing Speedy Hire’s first PLC Board Sustainability Committee to reinforce ESG governance, leading human rights and modern slavery programmes across the supply chain and acting as Chair of the Communities Committee supporting four corporate charity partners. 

Under her leadership, Speedy Hire’s net-zero targets have been introduced and emissions have been reduced by 48% by introducing an array of solutions such as electric vehicles and sustainable fuels across the company’s 1,500+ fleet, and by procuring renewable energy. 

Under her guidance, Speedy Hire has also rolled out innovative battery, solar and hydrogen solutions to the point where 52% of revenue now comes from products defined as “sustainable”. 

Internal engagement 

Much of Amelia and therefore Speedy Hire’s success comes from her ability to identify the needs of the business and translate them into tangible, actionable insights that are tied to the ESG agenda.  

Amelia has been able to flip the business agenda to talk and focus on sustainability outcomes. Her position on the board – a first for an ESG Director in the UK hire and construction sector – has been influential in driving change. 

Amelia has combined the environmental and governance aspects with internal social value to create a thriving ESG agenda that delivers a wider benefit of developing an internal workforce of green-skilled employees. 

The social aspect of the ESG agenda has been critical to driving wider awareness across the company. Externally, Amelia has forged partnerships with charities and the company is now a Youth Verified Business by Youth Group. 

By embracing hybrid working in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Amelia has been able to reach a far greater number of employees in large-scale training programmes, bringing new opportunities for the wider workforce, especially women, enabling them to remain competitive in a sustainability-driven world. 

A key focus for Amelia is to remove self-limiting beliefs from employees, which in turn opens doors for growth and allows for the development and sharing of new green skills. This has seen ESG embedded at a board level and across key functions such as HR. 

All internal departments have been engaged in the ESG agenda, adjusting management styles as a result to incorporate new approaches to sustainability. By building foundations for change, based on a logical and competitive vision, Amelia has turned Speedy Hire into a business with sustainability at its heart. 

External hats 

Outside of Speedy Hire, Amelia sits on the board for the Government’s APPG on ESG, advising on green finance, gender advancement, modern slavery and carbon markets.  

She is a member of the Steering Group of IEMA and its Green Finance Working Group. She is Vice Chair of the Scouts Group in St Albans strengthening perceptions amongst the business community by drawing out the charity’s significant social value. Amelia is also a prominent speaker at a variety of sustainability-themed talks and events. 

The Judges said:  

“The judges were impressed by the results that Amelia delivered and how promoting ESG has delivered both a financial and social value for the company. Her holistic approach to working across all parts of the business and the use of soft skills to inspire, influence and persuade are all key competencies for an ESG leader.”