Dawn Gibbins

Founder and chairman, Flowcrete Group plc

With an honorary doctorate, the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year accolade and an MBE to boot, Dawn Gibbins is a real high flyer - but her feet - and her flooring business - operate very much at ground level.

In 2006, Dawn was flying high after beating off competition from such well-known names as Richard Branson, James Dyson and Digby Jones, to be nominated the most influential person in UK manufacturing. The poll, conducted by the UK's leading manufacturing publication, The Manufacturer, reflects the stellar style the mother-of-two brings to business.

Floors have taken Dawn - the founder and chairman of Flowcrete - to new heights, and given her the incentive to inspire, revitalize and transform British working environments, a concept at the heart of Dawn's business philosophy.

Flowcrete's floors, installed in world-class locations including Bentley and Jaguar, have acted as a platform for cultural change within organisations looking to achieve the 5S of manufacturing - to strip, sort, shine, standardise and sustain.  Creating cleaner, tidier, safer, more effective environments, the floors have been catalysts in positive transformations not only in the UK but across the globe.

A qualified Feng Shui practitioner, Dawn's recent initiatives include the introduction of 'Factory Floor Shui' for manufacturing environments - introducing the basic concepts of this ancient art and linking them to manufacturing 5S to energise and innovate.

Almost 25 years since its launch, Flowcrete has grown to become a global market leader in commercial and industrial flooring with 26 offices worldwide and eight manufacturing sites of excellence in the UK - at Sandbach - as well as Asia, Sweden, Belgium, South Africa, US and Brazil. Its clients include world class names such as Bentley, Jaguar, Ascot Racecourse and Marks and Spencer.

Company firsts include the development of new products and application technologies, including the innovation of bug-controlling floors for the food and pharmaceutical industries, as well as self-levelling flooring systems that allow applications to take place 40 times faster than conventional methods - taking the strain off the backs and knees of flooring installers.

On the way to the top, Flowcrete has received a wealth of accolades recognising its commitment to innovation, including five Government SMART Awards for Research and Development.

In addition to her position at Flowcrete, Dawn is a member of the Government's manufacturing think tank, and has done much work to promote the industry and bring about positive change. She is also a national ambassador for the BERR Manufacturing Advisory Service.  Finally, she also sits on the Executive Committee of the Feng Shui Society,

Now Dawn is setting her sights on the UK domestic market, bringing her floors to homeowners. Look out for stylish designer finishes underfoot in homes across the UK.