Alumna Olivia Sweeney named in Top 100 Most Influential Women in Engineering

Olivia Sweeney (MEng Chemical Engineering, 2017) works as Ethical Buyer for Aroma Chemicals at Lush
Olivia Sweeney (MEng Chemical Engineering, 2017) works as Ethical Buyer for Aroma Chemicals at Lush
School alumna Olivia Sweeney (MEng Chemical Engineering, 2017) has been named among the 'Top 100 Most Influential Women in Engineering' in the UK and Europe by Inclusive Boards in association with the Financial Times.

Olivia's listing recognises her work towards a more sustainable cosmetics industry through her role as Ethical Buyer for Aroma Chemicals at Lush, alongside her outreach campaigning to inspire the younger generation about the possibilities of careers in engineering.

The list was published in the Financial Times on Thursday 17 October, and will be announced officially at the Inclusive Boards: Women in Engineering Leadership Conference on Tuesday 22 October.

At Lush, Olivia is responsible for the global supply of around 150 ingredients, ensuring that materials and suppliers meet environmental and ethical standards. She also works on reimagining how cosmetics ingredients can be procured and manufactured more sustainably. This might involve making banana fragrance using banana peel waste, using organic waste as the raw material to generate aroma chemicals, or developing the supply of Organic Fairtrade Ethanol.

Olivia also helps raise awareness of the diversity of engineering career options available to young people through her work on the 'This is Engineering' campaign by the Royal Academy of Engineering. 

Reacting to the news, Olivia said: "It was a real surprise and a great honour. The list of 100 Women is amazing and inspiring, and to be in that company so early in my career is something I was not expecting. I hope to continue to learn and grow and be deserving of this recognition." 

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