SSE's Chief Sustainability Officer Rachel McEwen has been awarded an Outstanding Contribution Award for her work supporting the Living Wage campaign.

Rachel has led the way at SSE, consistently advocating the importance of the Living Wage. She was presented with the award at an event at the Technology and Innovation Centre at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

The Living Wage Scotland 2019 awards celebrate Living Wage accredited employers who have gone above and beyond their dedication to the movement this year

Rachel said: "When SSE was first accredited in 2013, we were the 322nd employer in the UK, and the 13th in Scotland. We were the biggest company to sign up at the time.


"It is thanks to drive of those within the Living Wage Scotland that the campaign finds itself where it is today, with nearly 1,700 Living Wage employers in Scotland and 5,000 across the UK.

"Everyone in involved in the Living Wage movement has a shared belief in the value in human beings. That, no matter what job you do, where you do it and in what circumstances – the very basic you should expect – is to earn enough money from your efforts, that you can live a life free from poverty.

"I am very proud of the consistent commitment shown by colleagues in SSE over these past six years – it says a lot about the sort of company we are."

SSE became accredited in 2013 and has been synonymous with the big business case for real Living Wage ever since. Rachel was chair of the Living Wage Scotland Leadership Group between 2014 and 2018 and continues to be on the board of the Poverty Alliance, the home of Living Wage Scotland.

(MH/JG)