Sandra has had and still holds many roles. Wife, Carer, Mother, Grandmother, Entrepreneur, Business Owner, Business Partner, Wage earner, Publican, Coach, Mentor, Speaker, and the Matriarch of DPI UK since 2014.

In her early working life, Sandra spent more than 15 years occupying various roles in the corporate world of manufacturing and international logistics. She has launched three businesses, one leading her to become a Publican in the hospitality industry in partnership with her husband. And in every role, she has held the responsibility to be the decision and money maker. She was quickly labelled a ‘maverick’ for her personal qualities of tenacity, quick humour and getting everyone pulling together, whatever the resistance.

Sandra is a vocal advocate for bringing manufacturing to the heart of the UK economy and highlighting the importance that SME’s play in that role. She works with the Leicester & Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership [LLEP], Make UK and professional bodies to make that a reality.

Sandra graduated in March 2021 from a year-long programme with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [MIT], Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program [REAP]. This programme saw stakeholders from industry, academia, risk capital, and government collaboratively come together and write the regional strategy, which diverted to the Covid Recovery Strategy and now feeds into the industrial strategy. To ensure that work delivers results, She is an active member of the LLEP Innovation Board and the Innovation steering group.

Sandra is an Enterprise Advisor and is active and vocal in supporting young adults into sustainable employment, and works closely with the Careers Lead at a Leicestershire Multi Trust Academy to bridge that gap.

Sandra is a finalist in the 2021 Enterprising Women Awards for Stem, Teams and Businesswoman, with winners due to be announced on October 8, 2021.

In 2019, Sandra had an article showcasing her views and good business practices published in The Parliamentary Review.  

Sandra is an advocate of self-care and looking after one’s mental health and personal wellbeing. She is a trained mental health first-aider and has undergone CPD training on Trauma, the Brain and Recovery, giving her a better understanding of the issues faced. She actively seeks to influence professionals in self-investment and emotional intelligence and has done this since 2019 through her freelance brand: Authentically Balanced Sandra Wiggins.