‘Write your own chapter’, says race horse jockey and free diver Jim Lawless

Confronting uncertainty and risk is essential for leaders in the recycling industry to achieve ‘the next level’, BIR delegates in Copenhagen have been told.

The advice at the world recycling organisation’s latest convention came from keynote speaker Jim Lawless, a coach and mentor to the heads of some of the largest corporations in the world.

Free diving record

His address highlighted two occasions when he had accomplished seemingly impossible challenges: learning to ride a horse and race as a jockey within a year; and setting the British record of 101m for free diving. ‘There’s a new level we need the [recycling] industry to reach,’ he asserted.

‘We need to do things we’ve never done before.’ Lawless said this meant embracing uncertainty and, ultimately, risk – with leaders of the sector having to become ‘architects of the future’.

‘Copenhagen 2024 is your time. You are writing the story of your lives. You decide what chapter you write next.’