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IN BUSINESS 2016


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Be your authentic self


Suzanne Taylor, CEO of venue specialist Clarenco, tells Tamsin Napier-Munn how her divorce spurred her on to become a successful businesswoman, and how she has always lived by the creed: ‘Be your authentic self’


Suzanne Taylor was a single mother with a six-month-old baby daughter, when her whole world fell apart.


“I had been running a hotel with my husband, when my marriage broke up. We headed for divorce and I remember making a decision there and then that I was never again going to be dependent on a man for money.


“I felt fiercely responsible for my baby, so I had to think about all the things I’d been good at – what were my skills? – what was transferrable? It never crossed my mind that I needed to play it safe. I had bills to pay and failure wasn’t an option.”


Being an ambitious woman, Taylor knew she was a fighter. “I realised unless I made some audacious goals there and then, I could just blend into nothingness and fade away.”


Taylor came from a working-class family – but she always wanted to fly high, and in her mid-20s was working off Berkeley Square in London for DGSI. “I thought, gosh, at some point someone’s going to find out that I don’t know what I’m doing. Of course I did, but I didn’t believe in myself in my twenties.”


Taylor recalled that in those days many women would not put themselves forward for senior roles. They ended up in roles which were ‘pink and fluffy’.


Taylor wasn’t like that. Her early career was in retail – “very male dominated, surrounded by alpha males” – but she found a way to cope using different strategies.


“Meetings sometimes went on all day and then into the evening, and I used to be reluctant to wear a dress and heels and look too feminine because you felt you needed a suit of armour.


“But I learned that it is all about being authentic, being who you are and being recognised for delivering results.”


Often outspoken, and determined not to be ‘sitting on the sidelines’, Taylor joined Phones 4U as head of organisational design and development. “There were very few females as this was the late ‘90s.”


8 businessmag.co.uk THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH COAST – DECEMBER 16/JANUARY 17


After four years, she left to start her own consultancy, but she missed the buzz of working for a larger organisation. Taylor wanted to be part of the decision-making process in a bigger firm.


She had accepted a job in Dubai when a call came about a role at Dreams, the UK bedding retailer run by Mike Clare.


“Mike and I hit it off immediately. He was frank – asked some difficult questions – and I knew this was going to be more of a challenge. Maybe not as much money as I would have earnt in Dubai, but a great opportunity and a chance to be a trailblazer…Needless to say, I joined Dreams in 2002.”


Now, as CEO of Mike Clare’s company, Clarenco, Suzanne Taylor is described on the company’s website as: “Results driven, commercially minded, an inspirational leader.”


Clare formed Clarenco in 2009 to turn a hobby into a business. He had always been interested in unusual and iconic properties. Now he has built a portfolio of amazing and unique venues and hotels from forts and castles to monasteries – and Taylor manages the team that makes it all happen.


I asked her how business people perceived her.


“As a very determined, tenacious – maybe even ruthless – person. But I’m not. I have an air of confidence. I realised I could take one of two approaches: either not be liked, or kill them with kindness …”


Her advice to other women seeking to climb to board level?


“Be true to yourself, find your core. Be honest and transparent even if that isn’t always the easiest option.”


She added: “Women are still less likely to speak out in the workplace, but they need the courage to step up. Of course, things have changed – and companies are now more sophisticated with their talent and recognise that diversity and the blend of talent is really good for business.”


Women brought that extra element to business.


“Females are much better at multi-skilling. Wife, mother, director, they have to deliver on all fronts. The default position is if the kids are off sick – it’s the woman that is assumed to take the responsibility, because we are good at it. Of course that also means we can be our own worst enemy.”


Having seen the male-female dynamic in many businesses, and a number of different sectors, Suzanne Taylor believes it is in women’s own hands to achieve success and fulfil their destinies.


“The biggest challenge is being consistent with your self-belief. Don’t be afraid of the difficult parts – and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”


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