Judges Profile
Roni
Savage
managing director
,Jomas Associates
Roni, is a Chartered Engineer, Chartered Geologist and SiLC (Specialist in Land Condition). A graduate of University of Portsmouth with a BEng(hons) in Engineering Geology and Geotechnics, she also holds a Masters’ (with distinction) in Environmental Management. She has worked on many major construction schemes, including the widening of the A406 and M25, as well as various buildings and structures across the UK.
She received the highly prestigious presidential invitation to Fellowship of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in 2019.
She was formerly Associate Director of one of the UK’s largest Engineering Firms, in an industry where only 12% of the workforce is female.
In 2009, after gaining several years of industry experience, she solely established Jomas Associates, serving land developers across the UK, taking it to its multi-million pound turnover, with further plans for growth. Jomas undertake site investigations, engineering and environmental surveys on construction projects across the UK.
Under Roni’s stewardship, Jomas focus on providing their clients with high quality, high value, expedient, engineering solutions, with emphasis on delivery and customer service.
In 2017, Jomas was acknowledged as a high growth company by Goldman Sachs, and Roni took part in the 10kSB business programme run with University of Oxford, Said Business School.
A dedicated mother to three boys, Roni is extremely passionate about gender diversity and social mobility, volunteering her time to mentor and coach others. As a champion for change, and driven by her own experience being the rare black woman in her position, Roni has been instrumental in advocating diversity in Business, Engineering and Construction. She runs the largest Engineering company formed by a black woman in the UK. She is highly recognised as an expert in her field, and has been called to advice No10 and the Prime Minister on matters relating to Women in Business and stimulating the construction industry. She was also a contributor to the Alison Rose review on female entrepreneurship.
Roni has a very strong entrepreneurial spirit, with a passion for success and business growth. While acting as sole director of Jomas Associates, she simultaneously co-founded Turner Jomas, a multi-disciplinary civil engineering practice. Her approach is strategic, client, and cost-focused, and this allows her to achieve success in her endeavours.
She is a role model to other women as she has successfully combined being an entrepreneur, with being a mother, while finding time to empower and inspire others. She has appeared in articles for Forbes, Linkedin, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Times, Property Week, Business Leader, amongst others, and appeared on Sky News, BBC News & London Live TV.
Jomas were awarded ‘Best Consultant to Work With’ in the Construction Enquirer Awards in 2018.
Roni was appointed Federation of Small Businesses National Lead for Women in STEM in January 2019. She was then appointed as policy chair for Construction in January 2020, representing small businesses in Construction industry across the UK.
Roni was also appointed a Director/Trustee of YMCA SPG in March 2019, following her volunteering work on the Get on Track programme, enabling social mobility and diversity in the work place.
She is a regular speaker and has spoken internationally, as well as across the UK, on matters relating to diversity in business.
She has won several awards in recognition of her work to champion diversity in business – see overleaf.
She is currently an ambassador for the Start Her Enterprise programme which is set up to empower and enable females from underprivileged backgrounds, to succeed as entrepreneurs.
She also currently advises the Mayor’s Fund for London on matters relating to Social Mobility.
She has shaken up many businesses and institutions with her unique approach to changing mindsets, and bringing others along with her.
She was invited to join advisers to Alan Sugar on The BBC Apprentice 2019, as a result of the link to diversity within the business plan of one of the two finalists.
She has also been called upon to Judge several awards such as Natwest Everywoman Awards, Best Business Women and Women in Engineering Society Awards.