Amey's legal director makes top 50 rising stars list

02 May 2017

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Amey’s legal director for Highways and Consulting and Rail, Samantha Sawyer, has secured a place on GC magazine’s Top 50 Rising Stars Powerlist. The list recognises outstanding in-house counsel in major UK companies, who are driving the legal business forward.

Samantha has worked for Amey since 2008. She was recognised for her notable career achievements as well as her work to promote equality and diversity in the workplace by aiming to increase the number of women in leadership positions.

In 2014, Samantha was instrumental in Amey’s joint venture successful bid with Keolis to operate and maintain London’s Docklands Light Rail services, which helped move the company into the transport operators market. Since then, KeolisAmey has gone on to secure a contract to operate Manchester’s Metrolink and Samantha is now supporting the company’s ongoing bid for the Wales and Borders franchise.

Samantha has helped to develop Amey’s international business in Qatar, America and Australia and is exploring the use of new digital technologies in Amey’s health and safety initiatives alongside the UK Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry.

Samantha Sawyer commented on the listing: “I am honoured to have made the top 50 Rising Stars Powerlist and to be listed amongst such a plethora of high profile names. It’s one of my proudest moments and I’m looking forward to continuing to develop my career over the next few years.”

Jayne Bowie, Amey’s group legal director said: “As a legal team one of our aims is to be more integrated with our business units and to support them with their commercial and strategic needs. I’m therefore delighted that Samantha’s efforts to support and grow Amey’s business has been recognised by the industry.
“Her ongoing commitment and determination to improve equality and diversity is highly commendable and, under Samantha’s leadership as Chair, the Women at Amey group has made a real difference both internally and in helping to shape the wider industry culture.”

Paul Hirst, a partner at Addleshaw Goddard, who worked with Samantha on the Metrolink contract also descrided her as a “real star who is growing in influence”.

In addition to her role, Samantha was appointed chair of the Women at Amey group in 2016. In what is a predominantly a male dominated industry, the group is aiming to attract and keep talented women in the business.

Before joining Amey, Samantha was a corporate lawyer at Ashurst and during this time she also worked in-house on a secondment at RSA, the insurance company. Prior to this Samantha trained and practised as a solicitor at Dentons.

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