Awarded an OBE for her services to ethical business and winner of the Dods and Scottish Widows Businesswoman of the Year in 2007, Penny Newman has recently taken on the role of chief executive officer at Fifteen Foundation: the social business set up by Jamie Oliver in 2002.
Prior to that, she was the chief executive officer of Cafédirect plc; the UK’s largest 100% Fairtrade hot drinks company. Under her leadership, the company rose from a niche category into mainstream consciousness, making it the sixth-largest coffee brand and the 7th largest in tea. Penny has recently been appointed a non-executive director of Social Finance Ltd, and is a member of the advisory body for the Office for Third Sector, which is part of the Cabinet Office.