ENTERPRISING WOMEN ELIZABETH HARDWICK-SMITH


Elizabeth Hardwick-Smith has spent the past 12 years transforming people strategies in the construction industry, but when looking to what’s next, she delves deeper into her career history. Observing the accountancy firms that


propelled her on a journey towards director of HR and training at national property consultancy Pick Everard, she identifies lessons in their workplace innovations. The flexible working hours and paternity


policies they have adopted could help to attract more women to the construction industry, she believes – and unlock its skills shortage. “It’s no good saying ‘come join us over


here’ if, by the time they’re inside the business, people realise they can’t keep the same lifestyle," says Elizabeth, who previously worked for RSM and EY. “I’m always looking at how accountancy


firms are so forward-thinking in offering broad flexibility. “Taking these ideas into construction


could open up so many options for a more diverse workforce.” Rethinking the workplace has been a


regular theme for Elizabeth since she was tasked with turning around staff culture at BWB Consulting, the Nottingham-based engineering and construction firm she joined shortly after it was forced to halve headcount during the 2008 recession. Despite initial weariness over her role as


the sole HR professional, she implemented a series of changes over the next decade, including setting up a BWB academy for skills development and working groups to give employees a voice. The company ranked in The Sunday


EMMA RODERICK


When the craft beer movement exploded in the mid-2010s, it might have been tempting to picture a long-bearded, tattooed “hipster” from Shoreditch as being behind these new flavoursome homemade brews with weird and wonderful names. But one of the people spearheading the beverage industry’s response


to the basement microbrewers was Emma Roderick, who worked in a range of roles including UK craft and cask director at Burton-based Molson Coors. She looks back at this crusade – in which lower-strength


session IPAs became pub staples and 330ml cans joined pint-sized tins – as a juncture in beer culture.


‘I learned so much about how we could break down cask ale stereotypes’


“It was initially a London-centric movement but it soon gained momentum in the wider market, which opened it up a larger audience including women,” says Emma, now operations director for pubs at family- owned Everards Brewery in Leicester. “I’m a strong believer that there’s an opportunity for


everyone to discover a beer they enjoy and the craft beer market brought many more flavours and variety.” There weren’t too many women working in major breweries when


Emma first signed up in 1995, having caught the family bug. Her ex-Army great-grandfather had worked for the old Bass Brewery


in Burton-upon-Trent and she followed in his footsteps by joining the firm from Carlsberg Tetley in 1997. Initially an accountant, a Chartered Institute of Management


Accountants qualification allowed her to move into commercial roles and she eventually became a regional sales director. The company evolved into Molson Coors Brewing and, when it bought


Sharp’s Brewery in 2011, she jumped at an opportunity to run all aspects of its Cornwall-based brewing business as general manager. She spent five years there, overseeing 70 people and elevating the Doom Bar brand from a “south of the M5” tipple into a national staple – becoming the UK’s top-selling cask ale in 2013. “Not a lot of women were doing roles like this, particularly in Cornwall, so there was surprise about why I moved to run a brewing business,” says Emma, whose final role at Molson Coors was as CTS operations director, overseeing a team of 350 people. “But I absolutely loved it. The Sharp’s team


was fantastic and I learned so much about how we could break down cask ale stereotypes and open up Doom Bar to younger consumers.” She’s now bringing this experience to Everards, which she joined in September 2019 after being drawn to its distinct family values and ambitious


plans. As a member of the executive team, Emma oversees its 168 pubs, many support services such as telesales, and the new beer hall concept that will be integrated into the brewery’s


new home at Everards Meadows, due to open in late spring. It features a beer shop, brewery tours, tasting sessions, and a food and drink space. Emma adds: “It’s going to be a fabulous new venture that will really


elevate the Everards brand. It’s about ‘heroing’ beer, and with a fantastic and diverse team behind it, we look forward to welcoming current customers alongside a whole new audience.”


business network March 2021 65


Times Best Companies to Work For list during each of her final three years before departing for Pick Everard in April 2019. “It went from being a very paranoid


business, where people were afraid of receiving a tap on their shoulder to say they weren’t needed anymore, to one where they could have a say in the company’s direction,” says Elizabeth, whose desire to work on a larger stage led to her swapping the 300-strong BWB for Pick Everard, which employs 550 people across 13 UK-wide offices. The focus this time is on internal, rather


than just external, recognition – demonstrated by the Being Pick Everard series, which shines a spotlight on employees via podcasts and blogs. Covid-19 has provided another hurdle for


Elizabeth’s HR team but it’s responded by creating resilience toolkits, broadcasts, Q&As and employee surveys. Diversity and inclusion are two areas she


is pushing hard on and she has spearheaded a push for agile career development. Pick Everard’s workforce is 30% female


but it’s 16% at management and leadership. While this is higher than average, Elizabeth accepts more progress is needed. She adds: “Ultimately, we’re in an


industry with a skills shortage and, unfortunately, for a long time women have been an untapped resource. “It’s going to take years to address the


balance but we’re seeing improvements in how things are branded, the language we use, the diversity of choice and the skills we look for, so women look at the industry and feel there’s a career for them.”


‘Unfortunately, for a long period of time women have been an untapped resource’


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