Tom Bowtell, the chief executive officer of the British Coatings Federation, has been awarded the Public Sector/Charity/Trade Association Leadership Award. The award, which celebrates notable leadership and significant contributions to the science sector, was presented to Mr Bowtell at the Business of Science Conference in October 2021.
Steve Bennett, who organised the conference, commented, ‘The Business of Science Leadership Awards are given to highlight significant Leadership across Science, Innovation and Business. In the Public Sector/Charity/Trade Association sector, the judges were delighted to recognise Tom Bowtell’s work over the last 18 months in not only leading the British Coatings Federation to support its members during the pandemic and the onset of Brexit, but in his industry-wide leadership across the UK Coatings and Chemical Industries, most notably battling the wider implications of UK REACH. Tom’s work in ensuring that the potential costs and significant challenges to industry supply chains were communicated, recognised and considered has been exemplary, and as a result, the judges felt unanimously that Tom would be a very worthy recipient of this Award.’
Mr Bowtell himself added, ‘I’m honoured to receive this award on behalf of the BCF. Our team has done a great job supporting our members through challenging times with Brexit and Covid and we have successfully punched above our weight as the industry’s public voice to Government, NGOs and academia. Now we look forward to trying to create proportionate chemical regulations that stimulate manufacturing and innovation in the UK, and to drive the sustainability agenda for the sector, with a Net Zero pledge by 2050, and a more immediate goal to see 75% of leftover decorative paint reused, recycled, or remanufactured by 2030, compared to a derisory 2% today.’
