Two rising stars recognised in 35 UNDER 35 Awards

Two Senior Consultants from Resource Futures – Archana Pisharody and Katie Powell – have been awarded ’35 UNDER 35’ status in the 2023 Letsrecycle.com’s 35 UNDER 35 Awards.

The Awards – which took place at the RWM Expo on 13 September – celebrate trailblazers in the waste and recycling industry who are striving for professional excellence, promoting industry innovation, and giving back to their company or community.

Archana was nominated by Resource Futures for her exceptional work in developing and applying a national plastic waste inventory toolkit and skills in waste flow analysis in plastic and e-waste, while Katie was nominated for her research in tackling key environmental issues such as food waste and marine litter.

From supporting countries with populations facing serious impacts from mismanagement of waste and plastic pollution, to addressing a global threat to our marine environment, Archana and Katie have been instrumental in supporting our clients and wider society to make better decisions and minimise impact on the planet.

Our people are our greatest assets. Only by recruiting the best can we continue to deliver positive impact through every project, and both Archana and Katie are very worthy of the 35 UNDER 35 Award.

Sam Reeve, CEO at Resource Futures

Since joining Resource Futures in 2018, Archana has supported countries in better understanding their waste management systems, identifying challenges, and developing capacity for intervention. Working with local partners, Archana gains detailed awareness of regional issues to develop practicable solutions suitable to the geographical context.

On behalf of the World Bank, Archana worked with local stakeholders in Gaza and the West Bank to collaboratively identify opportunities for improved waste management using a plastic value chain analysis, enabling the development of locally tailored solutions.

Archana has also co-developed a national plastic waste inventory toolkit and environmentally sound management (ESM) guidance for plastic waste, on behalf of the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS Secretariat). First piloted in Ghana, the toolkit helped the Ghanaian government develop a National Plastic Management Policy. Archana is supporting additional pilots in over 19 countries across the world.

Also joining Resource Futures in 2018, Katie contributed to Bristol’s 2021 Gold Sustainable Food City Award, consolidating data to evidence progress in the area of food waste. Katie went on to support the launch of a tool to help food businesses effectively redistribute surplus food to aid those in food poverty in Bristol.

Katie has also collaborated with Governments and industry to understand marine litter – Resource Futures’ research filling an important data gap on waste gear generated from fishing and aquaculture sectors in the UK. Katie ran policy development workshops with participants from Defra, DAERA, Marine Scotland and the Welsh Government to understand policy option impacts and feasibility.

At the heart of every successful project is a manager with excellent communication skills. At inception, Katie listened and questioned our needs and wants for the contract. Using online platforms and focussed conversations, she quickly established the scope of deliverables and importantly where value could be added.

Morag Campbell at Scottish Government

Making it onto the 35 UNDER 35 list offers status holders industry-wide recognition for their professional competency, while highlighting their passion and dedication.

For more information on the annual Awards, visit www.35-under-35.com.