BUSINESS NEWS


BUSINESSWOMEN IN THE WEST MIDLANDS


A recent survey revealed that only 21 out of the 49 listed companies in the West Midlands had women on their boards. On the face of it, this suggests that boardrooms in the region are still dominated by men – the Chamber believes that the reality is that women have broken through the so-called ‘glass ceiling’, and are now making their mark on commerce and industry in the region. In this special feature, CHAMBERLINK’S PHILIP PARKIN takes a look at some of the women business leaders who are helping drive the region forwards.


I


n 2010 a quirky film was released which charted the events of a strike at the Ford car plant in Dagenham in 1968, when women machinists demanded equality with their male counterparts. Despite describing events from just 40 years ago, ‘Made in Dagenham’ depicted a strange world where women


were viewed as not worthy of being the equal of men: not by their bosses, the male workforce at the plant, the politicians of the day or even the trade union leaders. Today’s world is very, very different to ‘Made in Dagenham’, and in terms of commerce and industry, women


have done much more than achieve the near equal pay that the women machinists in the film eventually got. In many cases, they have risen far above the shopfloor, and are now directing and driving commerce and


industry as it moves through the second decade of the 21st century. Katie Teasdale, head of policy at the Chamber, said: “Equality has come on leaps and bounds over the past


30 years. When you look at representation on boards, there is some way to go, but when you look at the spread of talent you see some incredibly able women around today, and we want to celebrate that.” “Women are making a real difference to creating jobs and growth in our region, and redefining the business environment. It’s not the ‘old boys club’ anymore.”


Among the current crop of women business leaders in Birmingham is Liz Harper, boss of relocation firm Harrow Green.


Liz has been in the relocation


industry for 18 years, and Katie said: “She is a business leader in a male dominated industry who has made her way up from the shopfloor to the top.”


Someone else who is thriving in a male dominated environment is Jenny Chlebek, who is a flood risk engineer at Arup. Jenny has a PhD in engineering modelling and works on projects of up to £50m. She is passionate about encouraging women to take up a career in engineering, and Katie said: “She is a skilled engineer at the beginning of her career and is an example of the breadth and variation of what women do and bring to the business community.”


Someone with a rather different role is Fiona Kelsey, an audit partner with Price Waterhouse in Birmingham. She has been with the company for more than 20 years, and has worked at a number of the firm’s offices, including Boston, USA. She has a wide variety of


experience in retail, construction, business services and mergers and acquisitions, and also heads up the firm’s networks and community affairs in the Midlands. Katie said: “She is new to Birmingham, but is already having a big impact.”


Over at solicitors Squire Sanders Hammonds is Anne O’Meara, who has risen from trainee partner at the firm to partner. Among notable projects she has worked on is the regeneration of Birmingham landmark buildings Fort Dunlop and the Rotunda, and major schemes such as i54 at Wolverhampton, which is to be the home of the new Jaguar Land Rover engine plant. Katie said that Anne was


performing a vital role in helping to bring forward regeneration in the region.


6 CHAMBERLINK FEBRUARY 2012


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