Ged Heffernan, Managing Director of Fern Innovation Limited, has been awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List for his services to business and to technology.
Ged has been at the helm of Fern Innovation Limited since 2011, alongside holding the roles of Director of River Power Pod Limited since 2015, Consultant for Chamber Low Carbon since 2018, and Co-Founder and Group Board member at RedCAT since 2019.
Born and educated in North Manchester, Ged’s journey from teacher to valued business leader has been marked by a series of notable achievements. Graduating from Manchester University in 1987 with a BSc in Maths and Physics, Ged went on to obtain his PGCE from Lancaster University in 1988, followed by QTS in 1989.
Transitioning from education into the manufacturing sector, he held various roles in long-established and blue-chip engineering companies before ultimately incorporating his own consultancy, Fern Innovation, in 2011. His academic achievements continued with an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School, which he completed in 2006.
This honour recognises Ged’s dedication and impact within the business community, reflecting on a career of significant experience and solid commitment to fostering innovation and sustainability on a worldwide scale. Alongside being a valued advocate for the Chamber’s Chamber Low Carbon and RedCAT initiatives, Ged’s passion for environmental responsibility and sustainable development is also profoundly demonstrated in his work for River Power Pod Limited, taking sustainable innovation to as far as Africa to bring fresh water and energy to schools and communities.
Reflecting on his OBE honour, Ged commented:
“I’m really honoured and extremely humbled to have received the news of an OBE award. Such a wonderful surprise.
“This award recognises the hard work and contributions of family, friends, colleagues, clients and health professionals for their incredible flexibility and support, over so many years, to enable us to do what we do, and to persevere to deliver what we still need to achieve. It is so very gratefully received on their behalf and provides a brilliant boost.
“It has been genuinely amazing how people have provided such critical support on so many occasions, especially over the last decade as increasing help has been necessary to keep functioning through the health challenges thrown our way, even more so in overcoming the growing constraints cancer has introduced in recent years.
“Florence, my incredible wife, best-buddy and colleague, continues to save my life through all the ‘close calls’, keep us cheerful, and tirelessly apply her array of skills and ever-powerful muscles to maintaining progress on our projects.”
Ged continued:
“Our work with partners and collaborators in creating and developing RedCAT has drawn on our experiences and encounters that demonstrated the need, and we trust that RedCAT’s achievements have been a key factor in the decision to make this award. RedCAT provides accessible and sustained help for businesses to cross the treacherous commercialisation gap, deliver valuable economic outputs, and solve critical environmental problems.
“As mentioned above, the award is a boost, and we recognise that we still have so much more to do to achieve our aspiration of making a sustainable impact through our work on the application of STEM skills in the Global South and at home in the UK. I’m still a Maths and Physics Teacher at heart and need to share the knowledge!”
Miranda Barker OBE, CEO at East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, said:
“Ged has always been a hugely important partner in the Chamber’s sustainability activities, and now with RedCAT, he is helping companies launch their brand-new low carbon innovations into the world. His honour is richly deserved!”
For more information about Ged Heffernan OBE, connect with him on LinkedIn here.
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