A Nantwich businesswoman is poised for success in her Olympic role WORDS BY
JAN ROBERTS
A mother of five from Nantwich has landed a top role with the London Olympics. Eileen Williams has taken up a prestigious public welfare position with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).
As City Operations Manager, the single mum will work for LOCOG in conjunction with local authorities to ensure the smooth-running and safety of public celebrations and events taking place across the capital throughout the Games.
She was specially selected to work with LOCOG after a year of phenomenal growth for ESTC as a leading provider of crowd management and security services at major sporting events at home and abroad.
Now organising safety and security training at many top football clubs in the UK, as well in Greece and South Africa, Eileen’s company ended 2011 on a high with a clutch of awards for excellence and a new apprentice training arm which helps young people gain qualifications while working in the sporting industry.
It all started at Crewe Alexandra for Eileen, who with business partner, Cliff Simpson, set up ESTC in Nantwich, six years ago after both worked in safety and security at the Gresty Road club.
Eileen, who lives in Willaston, said: ‘I take great pride in the growth of ESTC but the City Operations Manager post is an achievement on a personal level. To be involved with the world’s biggest sporting event, viewed by a global audience, is a once in a lifetime opportunity.’
It will be a huge logistical task and one where an in-depth knowledge of health and safety procedures will be critical to ensure the public welfare of thousands of revellers attending pop concerts, parties and parades taking place throughout the Games - or gathering to watch the action on giant screens in fanzones.
Eileen, who has five daughters, aged 17 to 29, and a granddaughter of eight, will live in the capital over the next eight months, leaving eldest daughter and office manager Michelle Gauntlett and fellow director Cliff to handle things in her absence.
Eileen said: ‘You develop a certain resilience being a working single mum to five children and I’m full of admiration for women who perform this juggling act every day. It gave me the drive to succeed for them and I’m delighted to have two of my daughters working with me at ESTC.
‘It will be a wrench leaving my girls but they are 100% behind me and I know I’m leaving the company in capable hands.’
The print version of this article appeared in the February 2012 issue of Cheshire Life
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