Kath Shimmin Chair
Blake Morgan
Kath Shimmin on the art of the possible
Kath Shimmin joined Legal 500 law firm Blake Morgan in 1994 and was appointed the firm’s first female chair in May 2021, in a profession notorious for having few female leaders at the top. Shimmin leads a team of 658 people at offices in Southampton, Oxford, Reading, London and Cardiff. She sometimes wonders whether she’s viewed as a bit of a ‘dragon lady’, but her leadership style is about listening to and supporting colleagues
Blake Morgan’s focus on its people is what first attracted Kath Shimmin and something she values highly. The firm’s collegiate approach, with shared responsibilities, has stood it in good stead to weather the coronavirus storm, she says.
“We’ve come through this period in good health, which puts us in an exciting position going forward. We aren’t aiming for growth for its own sake, but instead looking for the right opportunities in the right places.”
Region’s businesses must address diversity challenges
Shimmin champions greater workplace diversity and social mobility but recognises it can be a challenge for the region’s businesses. “We need to embrace different ethnicities and cultures but parts of the south lack this diversity, so we have to ask ourselves why.”
Blake Morgan is signing up to the Law Society’s Women in Law Pledge to tackle gender inequality in the profession and Shimmin chairs the firm’s equality and diversity committee, which aims to ‘walk the talk’. “The last thing you want to do on a diversity initiative is to exclude anyone,” she said.
She’s a big believer in encouraging active career planning for everyone. “I’d like to see more dads talking about improving shared parental leave so it is encouraged and supported more. I think some men can find it difficult talking with peers about their children.”
Be prepared to make a stand when you need to
Regarding gender equality, she acknowledges that it can be difficult facing a wall of male faces and admits “being the only woman in the room does affect you sometimes”. But sometimes gender insensitivity can come from surprising places: “I remember a female secretary who refused to work with me because I was a woman,” she said.
40
Spotlight
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51
