| Biography | Penny Newman OBE is head of Platform 51, formerly the YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association). She was previously chief executive of the Fifteen Foundation , the social enterprise restaurant network set up by the TV chef Jamie Oliver from 2008 to 2010.
Prior to that, she was CEO of the fair trade company, Cafédirect plc. Under her leadership, it rose from a niche business into the sixth-largest coffee brand and the seventh largest in tea in the UK. She made her name as marketing manager of the Body Shop.
Awarded an OBE for her services to ethical business, Penny was winner of the Dods and Scottish Widows Businesswoman of the Year in 2007. She was a member of the Women's Enterprise Panel, which was formed by the Chancellor and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in late 2004. She is 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. |