It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Dame Julie Kenny DBE DL, founder of Pyronix and one of the Yorkshire region’s most dynamic and respected businesswomen.
A mother of three, grandmother of eight, wife to Iain and stepmother to his three children, Julie died after a short illness on Friday, February 21, at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.
Her success as a self-made entrepreneur, and the numerous accolades and honorary roles bestowed on her, made her an inspirational figure across every sector she touched.
Sheffield-born, she leaves a lasting legacy in South Yorkshire but particularly so in Rotherham, the town she always said had forged her. Her adopted town was enriched by her determination to make it a better place to live and work.
It was where in 1986 she founded her company Pyronix, the manufacturer of electronic security equipment, which she grew into a multi-award-winning global business.
She was a government-appointed commissioner to Rotherham Borough Council from 2015-18 after the town was rocked by a child sexual exploitation scandal, and was made a Freewoman of Rotherham in 2020.
But her greatest mark on Rotherham was her work to rescue Wentworth Woodhouse, Rotherham’s Grade I Listed masterpiece, from decay and decline, which she described as ‘one of the most inspiring, yet hardest, challenges of my life.”
She was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2019 in recognition of her five-year campaign with SAVE Britain’s Heritage to buy the house in 2017 and her ongoing leadership of Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust.
Dame Julie often said that surviving a difficult childhood gave her the motivation to succeed.
She grew up in an impoverished, chaotic household in Hillsborough and Stannington, Sheffield. By the age of 10 she was caring for her baby brother and responsible for cooking and cleaning, but always prioritising homework and school.
She left at 18 to become a legal secretary in Cornwall. She was swiftly offered legal training and went on to a successful career as a litigation lawyer.
She launched Pyronix with her first husband, but their marriage ended and Dame Julie continued to lead the growing business as a single mother of three, supported by two nannies working around the clock.
She flew to all corners of the globe, winning trade in 65 countries. When she sold Pyronix in 2016, a move she saw as crucial to growth and job security, turnover was £25 million.
Rotherham MP and Defence Secretary John Healey MP, who had known and worked closely with Dame Julie for nearly 30 years, paid tribute. “Julie was a truly remarkable woman who was proud of her roots and wanted to make life better for others,” he said.
It goes without saying that all at PSi pass on our sincere condolences to Dame Julie’s family and friends. The industry has lost a true pioneer and an extremely well respected personality.
