Sue Howell ‘honoured’ to receive historic BMRA award

Sue Howell is the first woman to receive the industry's Lifetime Achievement honour

Group's co-owner praised at prestigious dinner in London

SUE HOWELL, director of Wye Valley Demolition and co-owner and Financial Director of Rotherwas-based Wye Valley Metals, has become the first woman to receive the British Metals Recycling Association’s (BMRA) Lifetime Achievement Award.

It marks an historic milestone for both the organisation and the wider metals recycling industry.

The award was announced by Nigel O’Gorman of FJ Church during the BMRA’s annual dinner, held at the Royal Lancaster in London, which was attended by more than 500 industry leaders and guests.

O’Gorman paid tribute to Sue’s remarkable 40-year career, recounting her journey from “humble beginnings, with just a skip lorry and a few skips,” to helping build one of Herefordshire’s most significant and diversified businesses. Today, Wye Valley Metals, part of the Wye Valley Group, employs 160 people, operates a fleet of 40 HGVs and records an annual turnover of £50 million.

Raised in the family business, Sue gained early exposure to the sector by accompanying drivers on non-ferrous deliveries – sometimes taking Fridays off school – while also helping on the family farm. She formally joined the company at a time when, as O’Gorman noted, “her father did things his own way”. One of her earliest lessons was the importance of forging a different path.

When Sue and her brother Andrew assumed full management responsibilities 30 years ago, the company was struggling. Through determination, strategic diversification and long-term vision, the pair expanded its metals recycling operations and branched into demolition, asbestos removal, groundworks, quarrying and secondary aggregates, commercial property and architectural salvage.

Many of these sectors carry substantial regulatory requirements, yet O’Gorman praised Sue’s resilience and leadership in transforming Wye Valley Metals into “one of the biggest businesses in Herefordshire”.

Sustainability has remained central to the company’s growth under her direction. Sue also served on the BMRA board from 2017 to 2022, contributing her financial expertise to the Association’s accounts on a voluntary basis.

Despite her achievements, much of Sue’s charitable work remains “under the radar”, according to O’Gorman, reflecting her preference for quiet contribution over public recognition.

Sue's charitable work has helped countless organisations

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Sue was unable to attend the awards dinner, although she received her award from President of the Bureau of International Recycling, Susie Burridge OBE, at a Wye Valley Metals Christmas event in Hereford on Friday, December 12, 2025.

In a statement, Sue said: “I am so very humbled to receive the British Metals Recycling Association Lifetime Achievement Award. It is an incredible honour.

“I couldn’t have got here without the amazing people I have had the privilege to work with over the years and those who have supported me – especially my brother, Andrew.

“I’m proud to represent Wye Valley Metals and to stand alongside so many fantastic people driving our sector forward.”