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To celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, we spoke Samantha Anderson, the CEO of Wolviston Group, who has led the company’s trajectory over the past 20 years.

Wolviston Group comprises of three, individual specialist companies; Wolviston Management Services the first of the businesses initially established in 1981 by Malcolm Bainbridge, which provides personnel to the chemical sectors and allied industries.

TJ Hazell, established in 1979 was later acquired by Wolviston Group in 2009 and offers all aspects of civil and structural engineering services, with prominent projects including the stadium detail design for the home grounds of Premier League football clubs Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

BellBridge was later founded by Samantha under her role as CEO in 2019, as part of the company’s ambitious growth plans, which offers excellence in project management services, successfully delivering projects through their full lifecycle.

Samantha’s journey to CEO didn’t happen overnight, with her career starting at ICI immediately after leaving school as she explained:

“I didn’t take the typical academic route after leaving school, I joined ICI through their apprenticeship-style youth training scheme, working in the post room before moving on to the marketing department. Through hard work and dedication, I then began to climb the ladder within the industry.”

But it wasn’t until 1997 when Samantha joined then Wolviston Management Services as their commercial operations director:

“My role at the time was to focus on driving commercial growth and operational excellence within the organisation, then only six short years later, I was offered the opportunity to purchase the company as part of a management buy-out.”

The management buy-out saw Samantha become co-owner of Wolviston Management Services, with a new vision for growth.

During this period the company expanded through multiple acquisitions including previously mentioned TJ Hazell, as well as Manning Ltd in and YOH Staffing Solutions.

Samantha subsequently became the sole shareholder in 2016. She prides herself on her service-driven work ethic and has built the company organically on this principle under her leadership:

“We’ve never lost a client. We’ve grown by good service and reputation, we often find that when our contractors or clients move across to another organisation, they take us with them, which has seen us gain contracts up to an annual value of  £3 million, and that’s a testament to the service we provide.”

As a female business leader in the engineering and industrial sector, Samantha recognises the importance of championing women in business, although she has always maintained that gender should never be a barrier to success.

Throughout her career, she has never felt held back by being a woman in a male-dominated industry. Rather, she has worked alongside and been supported by many male colleagues and clients, some of whom were instrumental in her journey:

“I’ve had fantastic support from a lot of men within industry throughout my career and have never let my gender hold me back. My clients were typically male 30 years ago but now it’s predominantly women, many of whom are sat in major senior roles. We are really seeing more female leaders rise up throughout the industry.

“I’ve witnessed a change around board tables, it’s much more equal now. We have many women in senior roles across Wolviston Group, I think it’s a benefit to have a diverse workforce of both men and women as we bring different skills to the table. Having both perspectives allows us to approach challenges from different angles, ensuring we consider all possibilities and find the best solutions collectively.”

It’s this inclusive approach that Samantha takes across all levels of the business, including providing opportunities to the younger generations:

“Almost everyone in senior roles here have come through an apprenticeship route, so we understand the value of them. Since 2020 we have ran our own apprenticeship and graduate programme, we currently have 11 graduates and four apprentices in their third year.”

Looking ahead to the future Samantha hopes to leave a legacy behind that provides the same opportunities she was once given:

“I’ve recently led the restructuring of the business and have hopes for us to grow further through more acquisitions and moves into difference sectors. I want to create a solid foundation to get the business to a place where, when I eventually retire, I can do another management buy-out with my team and provide them with that opportunity I was given back in 2003.

“My team are the success behind the business, it would be a full circle moment to pass it on to them, allowing them to grow their careers.”

Wolviston Group have been NEPIC members since the very early days of our inception as Samantha recalls:

“I can’t remember never not being a member! We’ve had fantastic support from NEPIC throughout the years and companies like ours have grown on the back of those introductions from NEPIC, who continue to wave the flag for North East industry.”

Having played a key part in supporting NEPIC over the past 20 years from engaging in events and even sponsoring many across the years, Samantha said touched on NEPIC’s milestone:

“We extend a huge congratulations to NEPIC on 20 incredible years. Your support for the North East’s process industries has made a real difference, bringing businesses together and driving growth across the region. It’s been fantastic to see the impact you’ve had, and we’re proud to have been part of such a strong and collaborative network since the beginning. Here’s to the next 20 years of success!”