Jim Haywood
Business in the Environment Director, BITC
Jim joined Business in the Community as BITC’s Environment Director in April 2003. The Environment Impact Team is the environment campaigning arm of Business in the Community and aims to inspire businesses to work towards environmentally sustainable development as a strategic, mainstream business issue. Jim joined BITC from the Environment Agency, which he joined in 1999 to set up and run the National Flood Warning Centre - a centre of expertise in flood forecasting, warning and public awareness of flood risk. Latterly, Jim was the general manager of the Agency’s Lower Severn area, based in Tewkesbury, where he was responsible for the Agency's regulatory, advisory and championing roles across an area including the cities of Rugby, Coventry, Stroud and Gloucester.
Jim's former career included work with blue-chip multinationals, such as The BOC Group and AMP Incorporated (now part of the Tyco group), in engineering, health and safety and environment management roles. He has hands-on experience working with business units in developing environmental management systems as well as due-diligence and regulatory compliance auditing - both within the UK and overseas. Jim also chaired a network of company environmental managers across Europe, Middle-East and Africa (EMEA) as well as Asia Pacific, and was Chair of the European Industrial Gases Association environmental group.
Jim's career started as a submarine engineering officer in the Royal Navy with experience of both nuclear and diesel-electric submarines, as well as shore-based engineering and logistic support roles. He graduated from Exeter University in 1980 with an Upper Second Honours degree in Engineering Science. He is a Chartered Engineer and member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Jim lives in Haslemere, Surrey and is married with two sons, aged 22 and 23. He enjoys music, painting, the outdoors and plays and coaches cricket with his local village side.
