ACCELERATING ACTION: An interview with Jane Pearce, CEO of Rookwood Operations Ltd

Build a supportive network: Surround yourself with great people and don’t hesitate to seek advice

This International Women’s Day 2025, our Emerging Companies team is highlighting the gender funding gap. Burges Salmon is proud to be connected with a number of inspirational women and will be sharing a series of articles and interviews to inspire the next generation of female entrepreneurs, and demonstrate the potential and impact of investing in female innovators and female-led businesses.

Our first spotlight is on Jane Pearce, winner of the Women in Innovation Award 2025 and CEO and founder of Rookwood Operations Ltd, a pioneering company revolutionising phosphate recovery in water treatment. Under her leadership, Rookwood Operations has developed a groundbreaking material that recovers phosphate from wastewater and enables its reuse on land, addressing both environmental harm and food security issues. 

Jane kindly took the time to share her insights and experiences as a female entrepreneur and the advice she would give to other women looking to start a business.

What inspired you to start your company?

I've always wanted to be at the forefront of something game-changing, something that fundamentally moves the needle on a problem. I'm comfortable making decisions, have an attitude of “how hard can it be” and I’m willing to give something a go, which makes working in a start-up an excellent fit. 

We started with an ethos of better utilising resources and then developed the product from there. The more time passes, the more determined and passionate I become.

What were the biggest challenges you faced in the early stages, and how did you overcome them?

Funding was probably the biggest hurdle, it took time, but we got there in the end. It required determination and resilience. 

Also learning that unless someone said yes to another conversation or genuine interest in moving the conversation forward, even if they didn’t have the guts to say a clear “no” it was a waste of my time to continue the conversation – learning that quickly certainly made better use of my time.

What are the key factors that have contributed to your company's success?

Teamwork is our biggest strength. We are a close team, with different strengths and we trust each other to deliver. It’s meant we have moved quite quickly as we are able to divide and conquer.

We are also not scared to fail. In the early stages of product development, we failed frequently, but we were determined, inquisitive and willing to learn so we moved forward. It made us even hungrier to succeed.

What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs looking to start a business?

There are two points really.

Firstly, fundraising can be tough. As a female entrepreneur, you may encounter more sceptical questions from potential investors. Remember that your business won’t be for everyone. If you face rejection, don’t dwell on it—just move on.

Secondly, build a supportive network: Surround yourself with great people and don’t hesitate to seek advice. I’ve been fortunate to work with and meet some exceptional individuals, and I highly value their inputs and perspectives to help me make better decisions.

How do you balance work and personal life as an entrepreneur?

I was recently reminded of the importance of maintaining a good work/life balance by someone in my network, so I’m making it a priority to keep an eye on. 

As I work with my husband, we have the potential to never switch off. Generally, though, I think we manage it well. Of course, there are times when the business is all-consuming and exciting in equal measure, but we do try to spend a few hours each evening not talking about Rookwood.

We would like to thank Jane for taking the time to share her experiences and insights!

If you would like to discuss any of the points raised in this article, please get in touch with your Burges Salmon contact or the Emerging Companies Team on [email protected]. In addition to providing legal advice generally to start-ups, scale-ups, founders, and investors, we deliver legal advice to early-stage companies through the firm’s legal accelerator: BScale, with the aim of supporting early-stage businesses in scaling up their operations by providing corporate, regulatory, tax, employment, IP and commercial advice. 

Written by Eleanor Furlong and Joanna Gray