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JACQUELINE GOLD CBE As chief executive of Ann Summers and Knickerbox, Jacqueline Gold CBE has changed the landscape of both sex and business for women. Alae Ismail, a King’s alumna and co-founder of Styled By Africa, talks to Jacqueline about party planning, death threats and how to shatter the glass ceiling.
Women in boardrooms or senior positions in the 1970s must have been extremely rare. When you started your time at Ann Summers, did you have any role models or influential people that nurtured your confidence and resilience to succeed? When I started my career there were very few female role models and business was very much seen as a man’s world. When I joined Ann Summers, it was a very male dominated business and I had to report in to an all-male board, which as a 21-year-old woman with no formal business training or experience was extremely challenging! I look back at that time and recognise that whilst I didn’t have confidence, I had courage and belief in what I wanted to achieve and once I had used that courage, my confidence came and I wouldn’t let anything stand in my way. As the party plan element of the business grew under my leadership, I started to recruit many amazing women, all of whom regularly inspired me and still do today. The list of barriers facing women who aspire to move from middle management to boardroom is vast; including unconscious bias, ingrained mind-sets and lack of role models. At Ann Summers, how have you managed to tackle these obstacles? At Ann Summers we always employ the best person for the job. We have a culture that nurtures talent and offers endless opportunities across all elements of our business. Our board is 50 50 male female, however this isn’t because it has to be, it’s because these are the best people. I hope that I am a positive role model to the women in our business, as does my sister Vanessa who is our MD. We believe that an
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Jacqueline Gold CBE speaks at King’s College London with Sol Campbell and King’s Ventures
inclusive culture that rewards and recognises talent will always produce the best results for our business.
FIND THE COURAGE TO STEP OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE AND THE CONFIDENCE WILL FOLLOW Tell us about the most challenging moment in your career thus far? And what strategies do you use to cope with similar stressful situations? I have had many challenging moments, more than I probably would have predicted when I first started out in business. I would say the most challenging would have been when I received a bullet through the post when I wanted to open a store in Dublin. It was an incredibly scary time, and it did wobble me and make me question if I was doing the right thing. However I very quickly realised
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that I wouldn’t be someone who would be intimidated or bullied, and that I would not let anyone stand in the way of what I knew was right for our business and customer. We went ahead and opened the store and I’m pleased to say it was a huge success and continues to be one of our top performing stores. Business will always bring challenges, its unavoidable. The test is how you deal with them and finding that courage, self-belief and passion to keep focused on your goals and what you know is right for your business. The #WOW Twitter campaign has been running for four years with thousands of businesses taking part. Within the campaign, what has been your most memorable experience to date? Each week I’m inspired by the women who enter and their enthusiasm and passion for business and entrepreneurship. The majority of the women that enter have started their businesses from nothing, taking big risks and following their dreams, which I find so inspiring. It’s a very brave decision to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and what all
my WOW winners show is that when you do, great things can and will happen. It’s hard to pick just one memorable experience, so I will pick five (if that’s ok!) which is the mentoring lunch that I have each year with that year’s three overall winners. I love these lunches as I get to spend time with amazing women who are striving to achieve great things and embody everything that an entrepreneur should be, it makes me proud to be a woman in business. What advice would you give to men wishing to support the success of women in the workplace, but don’t know how to do so? Men should support women in the way they support men, with respect and by nurturing their talent. All businesses need to recognise the female talent they have, and to encourage young women to strive to reach the top. Mentoring is key, and I encourage all businesses to implement mentoring schemes where possible. What are your top three tips for women in the workplace? • Find yourself a mentor – male or female – and someone that can work with you to achieve your goals. • Shout about your successes – don’t be afraid to tell people what you have achieved, unfortunately in many cases others won’t shout about your successes so make sure you do. • Remember that courage comes before confidence, so if you don’t feel confident, find the courage to step outside your comfort zone and I promise the confidence will follow.
Jacqueline Gold CBE www.jacquelinegold.com @Jacqueline_Gold Alae Ismail www.styledbyafrica.com @StyledByAfrica @StyledByAfrica @styledbyafrica 2016–17 issue 23