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WOMEN IN BUSINESS
Sophie Gray, managing director at ICT Reverse
I am fortunate that I went to work for someone who had been in a male dominated
Real funding. Real deals.
business in London. He sees it like we see it when it comes to diversity. He will openly say that his best employees are women. However, when we go out into our sector it is very male dominated.
Real decisions. Growing a business, planning an acquisition, or exploring investment? This is where you’ll learn how funding really works.
I regularly have conversations with young girls at work who are planning on getting married.
They ask about the maternity policy and I will openly say to them, ‘Look, don’t worry if you can’t come back five days’. Women shouldn’t think that if they have a child, they are going to lose their job, or their position, or their opportunity for progression. That’s ridiculous.
We have to educate people internally, tell them about our policies on things like shared parental leave. You can’t put a policy in place and hope no-one sees it or wants to use it.
When it comes to what I can do to help create change, I am going to continue to educate my children and I would hope that they would then educate their friends. I will continue to try and make a lovely place for people to work and to
Business has to create the opportunities,
education has to put the ambition in and we’ve a role to play educating our own children
Kirsty Robinson, director and shareholder at Anderton Gables
Steve Bell Pierce
Martin Emmott Rosebud
There is definitely a glass ceiling there but I feel women have to be resilient. If you’re in a room that is male-dominated and you’re the only woman, you’ve got to be able to hold your own.
For years there was imposter syndrome on my part. It took years to overcome but ultimately it comes down to your own confidence and thinking, ‘Yes, I deserve to be here. I have fought for this’.
When I was younger, I would see what I thought were role models. But they
weren’t, because they were just behaving in the same way as their male contemporaries. Derry Green Secret Garden Glamping Ben Smith Kingsley Asset Finance
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Looking at the real role models, it was about the authenticity that they had and how they conducted themselves. How they were just open and honest about their own experiences, their own weaknesses. It is about taking that younger generation on a journey and saying, ‘It is all right if I have kids or want to go part-time or take time out’.
What’s needed is progression, framework and transparency. Are there opportunities out there and what are they? Are they visible for everybody? And if not, why was the opportunity not available for everyone to apply for? I’ve been really lucky with my employer because they have actively pushed me forward, but I’ve had to work hard.
Laurie Taylor, claims manager at VARS Technology
Our board of directors is all male. I was the first employee with the company, five years ago, and so I felt like I had to prove myself to be able to keep up with their knowledge and be able to progress to where I am now.
It is important for businesses to put themselves out there and make opportunities available. There is a lot of focus on restrictions. Sometimes when you’re speaking to younger people and they hear just how difficult it always is, they think, ‘I’m not going to be able to go and do that’.
They need to be able to see that there are opportunities available and that they can grasp them, progress and carry out those roles.
We need the education system, businesses and women like us around this table that have been able to get to higher positions to work together to present those opportunities.
My role in the business is changing. We’ve promoted another woman to take over my managerial position and to be there day-to- day for the team. Another woman has taken her supervisor role. I’m looking at how we can make those opportunities available and what training we can put in place to make sure everyone’s got their chance.
encourage the women in the business and give them pathways to progression. I’m also looking to be more visible outside the business.
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