CIWM’s CEO Delivers Powerful Keynote at Memcom’s CEO Lecture

Sarah Poulter, CIWM Group Chief Executive Officer, delivered a powerful keynote address at the Memcom CEO Lecture last night (27 November 2025) in London. Held at Kings Place in London, the keynote address follows Sarah’s CEO Leadership Award win at the Memcom Excellence Awards in September 2025.

The CEO Lecture is a major highlight in the professional membership annual event calendar, dedicated to celebrating and sharing lessons from exceptional leadership. The evening saw emerging senior leaders from across hundreds of organisations come together to collaborate, connect and learn about the latest key leadership insights.

Sarah had the opportunity to share her inspiring journey as CEO at CIWM, including her successes and learnings from leading the CIWM’s strategic transformation. She shared how the organisation has successfully increased membership, now reaching members in over 100 countries. This global presence was significantly strengthened by the acquisition of the Circular Economy Institute in January 2024, a major milestone which has expanded CIWM Group’s presence across six continents.

The address powerfully highlighted CIWM's core purpose of moving the world beyond waste, with Sarah outlining key achievements that reflect this over her 25 years at CIWM and 6 years as CEO. This includes the strategic win to host the 2026 ISWA World Congress in London, securing the influential global event for the UK for the first time in 30 years.

Sarah also outlined the internal shifts driving transformation at CIWM. This includes embedding a culture centred on productivity, growth and curiosity, while introducing external guidance and coaching to support leadership development. CIWM's EDI strategy has opened new doors for underrepresented voices within the sector, creating dedicated roles and securing a board seat for early-career professionals. This is part of Sarah’s commitment to driving equity, diversity and inclusion at CIWM and the wider resources and waste sector.

The CEO Lecture provided a clear vision of the strategic journey driving CIWM Group's transformation. The milestones shared reinforce our dedication to shaping a sustainable future for the resource and waste management sector as we continue to move the world beyond waste.

For more information, please visit Memcom CEO Lecture and the Memcom CEO Excellence Awards.