South warwickshire businesswoman awarded for leading the way on climate tech. A BUSINESSWOMAN from Leamington has scooped at top award for leading the way on climate-tech. Kripa Balachandran, head of product at Mission Zero Technologies, won the team leader award at the prestigious Salesforce Everywoman in Technology Awards. The ceremony at the Westminster Park Plaza Hotel marked the 16th year of this landmark programme, celebrating the women transforming the industry through their innovation, leadership and vision. Kripa is a Cambridge-trained engineer and people-first climate-tech leader, building real-world solutions to the climate crisis. As head of product at Mission Zero Technologies, she led a diverse, cross-functional team to deliver three first-of-a-kind Direct Air Capture systems internationally. Having often been the only woman or person of colour in the room, Kripa champions empathetic leadership, psychological safety and execution under pressure, proving that empowered teams build the best technology. Her inclusive approach has involved implementing equitable recruitment and flexible-work policies, ensuring parents and international hires thrive in an early-stage start-up environment. These initiatives have become models for other UK climate-tech firms. The awards aim to inspire the next generation of female talent to pursue careers in tech by shining a spotlight on inspirational women at all stages of their careers, including those taking their first steps in apprenticeships through to C-suite executives and innovative leaders running their own businesses. Attracting more women to the sector remains critical, as female employees account for 24.8 per cent of the total STEM workforce, and government figures suggest this has fallen from 29.4 per cent in 2020. Winners showcase the full breadth of the industry, from teenagers inspiring their classmates to join computer science clubs, through to women using AI to accelerate scientific discoveries and encouraging girls all over the world to unlock the power of a digital education for transforming their lives. More Stories

Partners win Energy and Environment Award. 5th March 2026 A collaborative carbon-capture project between O.C.O Technology and Mission Zero Technology has been recognised at The Engineer Collaborate to Innovate Awards, receiving the Energy & Environment Award. The award celebrates some of the UK's most impactful engineering partnerships and highlights innovative technologies helping to accelerate progress towards net zero and a more sustainable built environment. The recognised project brought together Mission Zero Technology, O.C.O Technology and Optimus Plus (Aberdeen) Ltd to deliver a major technical milestone through the world's first integration of Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology with building materials production. Direct Air Capture technology removes carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, creating new opportunities for permanent carbon removal and carbon utilisation. Through this collaboration, the captured CO[2] is integrated into the ACT production of O.C.O sustainable aggregate locking atmospheric carbon into useful building products. For O.C.O Technology, the project highlights the potential for combining carbon capture technologies with innovative materials processes to help reduce emissions and support the transition to lower-carbon infrastructure. "We are immensely proud to have attained this award in recognition of our groundbreaking innovation. This achievement reflects the powerful collaboration between O.C.O Technology Ltd and Mission Zero Technologies, combining our carbon-negative aggregate production with cutting-edge Direct Air Capture technology to deliver a truly Worlds First solution." Paul Barber, Site Manager at O.C.O Technology These awards recognise projects where collaboration enables engineering breakthroughs to happen which may not have been possible on their own. The project was supported by funding from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. O.C.O applauds Mission Zero Technologies for their forward thinking and collaborative approach to support onward advancement of carbon capture, carbon removal and sustainable construction technology. As demand for scalable carbon capture and carbon utilisation solutions continues to grow, projects like this demonstrate how cross-industry collaboration can transform emerging technologies into practical climate solutions.