RECRUITMENT consultant Jobshop UK is to launch a series of business lunches with successful speakers.

The season will start on May 13 with British rally driver champion and TV presenter Penny Mallory.

Her troubled teenage years took her on a tumultuous journey where, in her own words, she hit ‘rock bottom’ before pulling herself up and embarking upon a career in rally driving.

During her 12 years of competition, she became National Ladies Champion Rally Driver in 1993 as well competing in a Ford Focus World Rally Car – becoming the first woman in the world to drive a car of this specification. She hosted the Channel 4 programme Driven, which initially knocked Top Gear off its number one spot after 21 years.

Other speakers booked for the exclusive lunch events this year are Adrian Pike, chief executive officer of leading energy efficiency solutions company Anesco; Mark Constantine, founder of Lush; and chief executive of the REC, Kevin Green.

Tracey Wood, director of Bournemouth-based Jobshop UK, said: “We are delighted to be able to bring our clients a selection of such diverse and respected speakers to the Jobshop UK business lunch events and look forward to kicking off this series of lunches with Penny Mallory, whose presentation, ‘World Class Thinking, World Class Behaviour, promises to make for an engaging and convivial lunch.”

Details are at jobshopuk.com