Bridging the gap

20/04/2006

A North East business woman is taking on the vital role to bridge the gap between business and society.

Thirty-year-old Louise Hunter, who was born in Blyth, Northumberland, and lives in Gosforth, has recently joined Northumbrian Water’s corporate affairs department as corporate responsibility manager, based at the company’s head office in Durham.

Local communities, from Berwick down to North Yorkshire and across to the Pennines, and the environment are at the core of all Northumbrian Water does.

Louise will ensure all water company activities are socially responsible, sustainable, and that they meet regulatory, legislative and business needs.

Louise’s passion for encouraging and supporting responsible business practice is evident throughout her career having worked for Business in the Community North East for four years and KPMG in Edinburgh before that.

Intrigued at the social and environmental responsibilities of companies, Louise moved to Business in the Community in 2002 where her role expanded rapidly from employee involvement manager to acting regional director.

Engaging over 200 companies on initiatives and strategies related to business impact on the environment, workplace, marketplace and community, Louise will bring a vast amount of knowledge and experience which will benefit Northumbrian Water.

With a clear vision, Louise said: “I am incredibly excited about my new role as corporate responsibility manager at Northumbrian Water.  It is a new position within the company which brings fantastic opportunities to use my knowledge and experience to further integrate corporate responsibility throughout the business.

“The company’s positive approach to behaving in a responsible manner is really important to me.  I am looking forward to the variety of challenges ahead.”

In 1998 Louise worked for KPMG in Edinburgh as a financial sector auditor focusing on corporate responsibility in an economic sense – ensuring companies managed and reported financial operations truthfully and fairly.  Her interest in corporate governance eventually steered Louise towards a career in managing broader social responsibility.

Northumbrian Water has a variety of community and environmental initiatives.  One of the biggest community projects is the ‘Just an Hour’ scheme which aims to develop and sustain employees’ involvement in community and environmental projects. 

Each employee is encouraged to give at least 12 hours of paid, work time a year to carry out a ‘Just an Hour’ project in the local community.

For further information please contact Joanne Dye on 0191 301 6733.