Announced on International Women’s Day on Friday March 8, the list was compiled from over 200 nominations by a combined panel from the Trade Association Forum (TAF), the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The initiative champions the achievements of women in trade associations and aims to encourage the next generation of women into the association sector.

Before being elected BCF President, Harte had served for eight years as a BCF Board member, with a total of 10 years of experience in the coatings as Managing Director of Dacrylate Paints Ltd, an independently owned manufacturer of high-performance coatings in Nottinghamshire. With her experience – and a previous career working within media - Harte has brought a huge amount of practical experience to the BCF. In addition to helping to ensure the organisation continues to deliver top-quality member engagement and services, Harte has also been a driving force in helping to press the sector to modernise, not least in pursuing net-zero goals as well as diversity and inclusion by continuing to work alongside members of the BCF Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) Committee, supporting members and the wider industry to embed these commitments. Harte has been an engaged member of the Committee since its inception in 2021.

On learning of her inclusion on the TAF Women in Trade Associations Powerlist, Harte said: ‘It is always gratifying for the coatings sector as a whole to be recognised for awards. I see this nomination as an acknowledgement of the big steps our wider industry is making to become more diverse. We have come a long way over the past few years but there is a lot more we can do to make our organisation and the coatings sector more representative and inclusive in the near future. But this nomination speaks to all voluntary contributors to Trade Association Federations and acknowledges the impact they have. Here at the BCF, we are indebted to that contribution and proud to report the increasing number of women on both our Board and championing change through our committees.’

Tom Bowtell, CEO of BCF, commented on Harte’s recognition: ‘Sharon has proven to be a brilliant President of the BCF, making sure I, and the whole team, remain focussed on delivering exceptional services and support to BCF’s members. She thoroughly deserves to be recognised for her efforts and so we are delighted she has been named in this year’s TAF Women in Trade Associations Powerlist.’