Women in Business - Q1 - Mar 2019 by Mediaplanet UK&IE

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30% CLUB Changing perceptions of “what a leader looks like” » p2

FORWARD LADIES The STEM industry needs to “wake up to diversity” » p6

NORTHERN POWER WOMEN “Seeing a diverse range of people with a seat at the table creates role models.” » p8

Women in Business BUSINESSANDINDUSTRY.CO.UK

Diversity is not a ‘nice-to-have’ for businesses; it’s a must-have Businesses are in a constant struggle to find some edge, some advantage over their competitors. Leading a large company – or indeed any company – is an enormous task. Executives and boards can leave no stone unturned, and have to see with all eyes. The success of their organisation, and by extension, their employees’ jobs and shareholders’ money, depends on this.

hy would you risk limiting that success by limiting your leadership to certain groups of people? Organisations that see only 50% of leadership candidates risk not seeing possible opportunities that are within reach, and potential pitfalls that are on the horizon. A complete lack of diversity at the top is a red flag, and could raise immediate questions about a firm’s practices and culture. It is always possible that these questions may be answered in a satisfactory manner. Then again, they may not be… This is more than just a business issue There are steps businesses can take Follow us

now to diversify the pipeline of talent to the top, to add to the women that are already knocking loudly on the door of boardrooms across the country. However, not all the onus is on companies. Even as women have incrementally gained leadership positions, we must look at what we can do as a society. We all need to look at the way we engage with women from a young age, the value we place in different leadership styles and the strength that comes from having differing opinions – of course, not just in business.

is crucial. We need to ensure that young women don’t feel discouraged from entering traditionally maledominated subjects like STEM and finance both at high school and university, which can lead to higher pay and higher positions, On top of this, providing womenwith training for board-level and executive roles, specifically, can be a great tool to break any glass ceilings. It’s a huge joy to me that I’ve been able to work in this area, both through my not-for-profit organisation, Board Apprentice, and as chair of the IoD.

Curriculums must support girls into traditionally maledominated subjects Education, as in all walks of life,

Inclusive networks can overcome the ‘old boys’ club’ mentality Building inclusive networks is

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CHARLOTTE VALEUR Chair, Institute of Directors

also paramount. Like it or loathe it, networking is a part of the life of a senior business person. While women have historically been shut out of ‘old boys’ clubs’, we now have a huge opportunity to reinvent what is meant by a network of leaders, to recast them as inclusive spaces for development. Current leaders must champion diversity At the end of the day, however, it comes back to the attitudes of the current crop of leaders. Any efforts to improve diversity must begin and end with those already at the top. Not only do leaders set the tone for their organisations, but they also hold the reins. It’s in their gift to truly

question whether their organisation is incorporating inclusive practices, from recruitment, to retention, to workplace culture. They need to walk the walk. For all of us, questioning ourselves, holding what we do up to the light is one of the trickiest things in life. For people who have reached the top and found success through hard work, skill, and determination, it is perhaps even trickier. Nonetheless, this is what we must do. Indeed, it is this ability to question oneself and seek constant improvement that sets apart the best leaders.

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Wanted: more women in senior roles Byline: Tony Greenway

To ensure more women occupy senior roles, companies need to rethink their workplace culture, recognise unconscious bias and ensure that opportunities are available to all.

tatistics show that organisations that employ more women in leadership roles enjoy stronger financial performance. That’s just a fact, says Brenda Trenowden CBE, Global Chair of the 30% Club, which campaigns for greater representation of women at board level. For example, in 2018, Harvard Business Review discovered that venture capital firms that, ‘increased their proportion of female partner hires by 10% saw, on average, a 1.5% spike in overall fund returns each year and had 9.7% more profitable exits.’ No wonder more companies are recognising diversity as an economic imperative, as well as a moral one. Diversity leads to better business outcomes Happily, their customers are beginning to demand and expect it, too, says Trenowden. “Many of our members are told by their clients: ‘Our customers are diverse — so how can you relate to us if your teams

aren’t?’ Essentially companies are realising that, if they employ a group of similar-looking people who sit around agreeing with each other, they won't be challenged enough or incentivised to explore different approaches. Evidence shows that a more diverse group leads to better decision-making and better business outcomes.” Nevertheless, many companies still display a depressing lack of women at senior levels. If there was just one reason for this, it would be easy to fix, says Trenowden. But it's more complicated than that. “For example, certain industries don't attract women because of a perception that it won't be easy for them to succeed and progress. That perception is often wrong, but it can be hard to change.” Fighting unconscious bias and training managers Unconscious biases can also be found in people and processes, so when these are uncovered they need to be challenged. For example, job adverts

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that use certain words (which might be thought of as ‘masculine’) may deter women applicants. “This is why smart companies are now running their adverts through software to ensure that the language isn't overly gendered,” notes Trenowden. “Now, there’s an argument that women should be encouraged to put themselves forward for more jobs and take more risks. Equally, managers need to be better trained to encourage and support the careers of individual team members.” Those managers also need to understand that women will present differently to men, and not confuse male ‘confidence’ for ‘competence’. “There may be a huge buy-in for diversity at the top of the organisation, but to cascade it down to managers who have always 'done things a certain way’ requires real investment,” she says. Challenging stereotypes and changing workplace culture Stereotypes need to be challenged

BRENDA TRENOWDEN CBE Global Chair, 30% Club

too. “Because of the way we have been socialised, all of us have certain views about what leaders look like,” Trenowden points out. “And, typically, we imagine men because that’s what we've seen more often. Yet, once more female role models become normalised, that view will change.” To really tackle the diversity and inclusivity problem head-on — at all levels — companies need to fundamentally shift their workplace culture. “That gets to the heart of it,” insists Trenowden. “Companies can run as many diversity initiatives as they like, but if they haven’t got a good, healthy, inclusive culture, where everyone has equal opportunities, no changes are going to stick.” Diagnosing the diversity problem is the first step Take attitudes towards job flexibility, for example. There may be a temptation to assume that women will always crave flexibility, because they have traditionally occupied

care-giver roles. Yet some men crave a work/life balance too, but may worry that asking for parental leave will be a career-limiting move. “It would be great for men to have the same experience as women,” argues Trenowden. “We don't ask men: ‘You have four kids. How do you balance work and family life?’ Maybe we need to ask that a bit more.” Thankfully, Trenowden has had many conversations with corporate leaders that show there is a real willingness to address this issue. “Every company is different,” she says. “So, the first thing they need to do is spend time diagnosing where their diversity problems are — and why they have them.”

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Moving beyond the bottom line: how inclusion matters for business Equating the ‘business case’ with the financial bottom line only is both dangerous and counterproductive.

ecently, we’ve heard much about the business case for diversity and inclusion. “Inclusion is key to your bottom line”, argued the CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering1. In 2015, McKinsey examined the finances and composition of top management and boards of 366 public companies in Canada, Latin America, the US and the UK. Their results2 suggested that more racially and ethnically diverse companies were 35% more likely to have higher financial returns. For companies with higher gender diversity, the figure was 15%. As one Financial Times article summarised3, “the evidence is growing – there really is a business case for diversity”. However, equating the ‘business case’ with the financial bottom line only is both dangerous and counterproductive. In particular, even studies like McKinsey’s are careful to stress that correlation does not equal causation. Other factors matter too. Untangling them to demonstrate robust causal links is exceedingly difficult, especially in larger samples. Beyond this, there is also the question of what this line of argument assumes. In

particular, as scholars like Cordelia Fine suggested4, the ‘bottom line’ argument places an unhelpful onus on women and minorities to justify their inclusion by positively contributing to corporate financial performance, rather than on the majority to justify their continued prevalence. In a context where noninclusive organisations continually fail, including financially, this is curious to say the least. Instead, if there should be a ‘business case’ for diversity and inclusion, this is more productively focused on how greater diversity and inclusion contributes to better work and business more broadly: for individuals, and for organisations. Diversity and inclusion means more than just being a category’s ‘spokesperson’ In a recent talk at the LSE5, Professor Quinetta Roberson, an expert in organisational diversity and inclusion, outlined a “baseline” of diversity. This included representation of different groups, their fair treatment, and an equal opportunity for contribution. Inclusion, on the other hand, meant taking this a step further. It was

about being “meaningfully involved in the work”. Importantly, for this to be the case, such individuals needed to know what was going on (information), have the means to act on this (resources), and work in sound collaborations to maximise the potential of that diversity (context). It was also critical that such individuals were engaged as equal members of a team making actual decisions – instead of merely as spokespersons for their categories, whatever those might be. Diversity introduces productive conflict These insights crucially align with decades of research on groups, which found that greater diversity facilitated better creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. As Chris Clearfield and Andras Tilcsik summarised in their recent book, Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It6, “surface-level diversity and diversity in expertise work in remarkably similar ways. In both cases, diversity is helpful not so much because of a unique perspective that minorities or amateurs bring to the table but

DR MAJA KORICA Warwick Business School

because diversity makes the whole group more sceptical.” Examples they give range from boards of small US banks during the financial crisis7 and the disgraced healthcare start-up, Theranos8, to lab experiments studying how people collectively decide which student ought to be accepted to university9, or who committed a fictional murder10. All demonstrated that such groups doubted, introduced uncomfortable tensions, and worked. Specifically, they countered the three key dangers of homogenous groups: (over)reliance on experience, overconfidence, and little productive conflict. Diversity often removes group think Greater, meaningful inclusion, and time and resources to engage resulting tensions productively, enables better decisions by everyone. This is important because it focuses on the work itself. After all, financial outcomes are but one expression of organisational value. Organisations are also places of innovation, negotiation, creation, and belonging. Including a wider range of diverse people helps us counter dangerous group thinking.

It also recognises that valuing unique contributions of increased inclusion matters not only for those individuals, but improves us all. That’s good business too. Warwick Business School (WBS) offer a range of MBA and Executive Education programmes Study part-time at The Shard, London or online by distance learning. WBS have recently launched the MSc Global Central Banking and Financial Regulation, a part-time, online course aimed industry professionals working in the banking or financial regulations sectors.

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1: www.director.co.uk/inclusion-key-bottom-line-says/ 2: www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/why-diversity-matters 3: www.ft.com/content/4f4b3c8e-d521-11e3-9187-00144feabdc0 4: www.ft.com/content/dffca01c-1017-11e8-8cb6b9ccc4c4dbbb 5: www.lse.ac.uk/Events/2018/10/20181009t1300vSL/beyond-diversity 6: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/549596/meltdown-by-chris-clearfield-and-andras-tilcsik/9780735222632 7: journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/amj.2013.1211 8: www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-commentary/how-board-diversity-might-have-prevented-the-theranos-fiasco/article38304767/ 9: sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-trouble-with-homogeneous-teams/ 10: www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/

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Gender balance starts with fixing workplaces, not women Improved gender balance is directly linked to the bottom line, but businesses need to focus on workplace solutions to capitalise.

n 2012, when YouTube launched a mobile app to allow people to upload videos from their phones, it noticed something odd. Around 10% of the videos uploaded were upside-down. Further investigation revealed that all the engineers and designers who had created the app were right-handed. They simply hadn’t considered that left-handed people use their phones differently, leading to the upside-down videos. It’s a small but powerful example of the hazards of groupthink, poor oversight in forward planning, and how diversity can improve products that directly relate to the bottom line. It’s also a lesson that financial services can learn from. The business case for better gender balance at all levels within

an organisation, not just at the board level, has been proven unequivocally. Countless studies demonstrate the increase in financial returns, lower risk of business failure, greater innovation and better business that comes with more balanced teams. If that wasn’t compelling enough, we’re entering an era that will be defined by ‘womenomics’. Over the next five to ten years, female wealth will fundamentally change the customer landscape, with predictions that 60% of disposable income in the UK will be controlled by women by 2025. Gender balance is a business issue, not a women's issue In financial services, women are under-represented and under utilised. There is also a substantial leak in

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the pipeline of talent, but there is no evidence to suggest that women are leaving predominantly related to motherhood. Pay, lack of learning and development, limited career progression and lack of meaningful work appear to be far more significant drivers. This is set against a backdrop of culture and behaviour that still, in some cases, creates an unwelcome environment for women in the workplace. To achieve change, we need to move away from the idea that women need to be ‘fixed’ - the stereotype that women lack ambition, confidence, leadership skills, or appetite for risk - and instead look at our business practices and policies, and even our business structures. This includes the behaviours we support, how we

VIVIENNE ARTZ President, Women in Banking and Finance (WIBF)

promote, how we recruit, how we measure success - and everybody wins if we get it right. Transparency in recruitment, pay and promotion, as well as flexible working programmes and shared parental leave benefit everyone, not just women. Business challenges need business solutions Women often face complex barriers to achieving their full potential in financial services but there are proven solutions to overcome these obstacles – mentoring, coaching, sponsorship, development programmes, access to career opportunities, evidencebased action, and the support of organisations that are committed to accelerating change in culture and processes. It also means having the

ability to look ahead and innovate. We’re facing uncertain times and we don’t yet know what our equivalent of the left-handed user might be. Being able to access 100% of your potential workforce, customers, and client base to prepare for the future, simply makes good business sense. #BalanceforBetter is Better for Business!

WIBF Women in Banking and Finance (WIBF) is a UK-wide networking and development organisation. Join us at wibf.org.uk

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Innovation starts with diversity and inclusion Campaigning for equality as the route to innovation and the development of a future-proof workforce.

y anyone’s measure, Tamara Box is a leader. Currently Reed Smith’s managing partner for EME and member of the firm's senior management team, she has successfully led the region to record growth in revenues and profits. Focusing on strategic vision and innovative solutions, Tamara continually seeks out new ways to provide a more efficient delivery of products and services. Tamara is also a leader in gender equality. A founding member of the 30% Club Steering Committee, she has been instrumental in increasing the number of women on FTSE 100 boards. She is Chair of “Women of Influence,” a charity initiative for CRUK that supports female scientists, and she sits on the Court of Governors for the London School of Economics, where she is the sponsor

of Power – a women's initiative for staff. Leadership is about inspiration But Tamara is adamant that leadership isn’t just about a title on a business card. “A title is just a title,” she says. “Real leadership takes place in the hearts and minds of the people when they feel inspired to be their best.” Creativity thrives in a culture that is truly egalitarian, fully diverse, and 100% inclusive, she explains. “By valuing and respecting each other, we give equal weight to ideas from each individual. This is important because, without risk, nothing new can be discovered.” Superior innovation, however, is not the only benefit of diversity. Women as role models “It is critically important that

women are represented at every level in an organisation,” Tamara says. “Millennials want to know that there is a career path for them that doesn’t stop at the low rungs of the ladder.” One of the few female managing partners of a major law firm, Tamara takes her responsibility for developing gender equality seriously. When UK companies were required to report their gender pay gap, Tamara insisted that Reed Smith take the lead in reporting throughout the organisation — including the partnership — because, “sunlight is the best disinfectant.” Actions speak louder than words But companies must take steps beyond reporting. The Mansfield Rule, developed by Diversity Lab in

TAMARA BOX Managing Partner EME, Reed Smith

2017, challenges law firms to ensure that at least 30% of the candidates for leadership roles are women, minorities, or LGBTQ. Tamara believes that initiatives like this will help to reduce unconscious bias and create equal opportunities for meritbased promotions. A Gold Standard Certification is awarded by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum to firms whose equity women partners achieve leadership roles. This very specific measure gets beyond the policies and practices of a firm and goes straight to the leadership level, where women are a small minority. In noting that the senior management team at her firm is 50% women, Tamara says, “Gender parity is a worthy goal. We shouldn't be satisfied with anything less.” There’s no question that passion

is the driving force behind Tamara Box’s leadership, and her colleagues and clients will say that it is contagious. “When leadership is diverse, everyone wins,” she says. “Companies are more profitable, the workforce is more productive, and innovation thrives. It truly is the way to future-proof any industry.”

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The gender gap means women are abandoning their STEM careers Byline: Tony Greenway

A recent report highlighted the problem the STEM sector has with retaining women. More female role models and better BAME representation is needed to reverse this alarming trend.

ast November, professional women's network, Forward Ladies, published its second annual Women in STEM survey. Entitled, ‘Bridging the Gender Gap’, it made for concerning reading. The report found that women still face unfair challenges in the science, technology, engineering and

mathematics (STEM) sector — and, worse, a lack of progress has been made over the last decade to improve the situation. It should be no surprise, then, that the industry is seeing an alarming number of women leaving their STEM careers. In response, the STEM industry must recognise the factors that women say they look for when selecting an employer, including job security and stability, a flexible work schedule and an inclusive culture, and competitive earnings and benefits.

Image: Bridging the Gender Gap report

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No minority representation in senior management Another striking point to emerge from this year's report was that, of the 1,653 women surveyed, none from Black, African/Caribbean or Black British ethnicities were occupying senior management or board level roles. “That's shocking,” says Griselda Togobo, CEO of Forward Ladies. “Because, the expectation is that if you work hard and perform well, you’ll progress in

I think awareness is coming to everyone gradually and I see a lot of hope. Certainly, for my children I believe the future is bright.” the same way as everyone else.” Only 17% of women earning more than £150k were from BAME (Black, Asian or other Minority Ethnicity) backgrounds. There aren’t enough BAME or women role models for young people in STEM This is a root problem, however, because STEM is resolutely failing to keep — and attract — BAME candidates in any significant number. “Generally, people tend to gravitate towards careers where they see people like themselves progressing and achieving,” reasons Togobo. “So we need more visible female role models and real people going into schools to inspire the next generation.” That may be easier said than done in an industry where women of all ethnicities make up just 14.4% of the STEM workforce. Of course, even if female role models started pouring into schools to bang the drum for the STEM sector, the problem can't be solved overnight.

GRISELDA TOGOBO CEO, Forward Ladies

“That's exactly right,” agrees Togobo. “Which is why the industry needs to be consistent. No more short-term, tick-a-box ‘we’ve done this now – let's move on’ attitudes. It’s only a persistent focus that will change those statistics over a prolonged period of time. The sector needs to wake up and tap into a talent pool that includes women, BAME representation, and people with disabilities. Everybody who can contribute should be allowed to contribute. A more holistic view is needed.” Five stages on the road to diversity The ‘Bridging the Gender Gap’ report identified five stages that STEM companies and their leadership may go through on the road to diversity. The first is denial, where they demonstrate out-of-touch behaviour and a lack of understanding about the importance of diversity. The second stage is seeing a lack of diversity as inevitable and approaching any improvements as a cosmetic exercise. The third stage is actively trying to change their culture with various initiatives, but doing so in an uncoordinated — and therefore ultimately ineffective — way. By stage four, companies have made progress but still have work to

do. “Stage five is Utopia,” says Togobo. “No companies within our survey had reached that stage.” Awareness filtering through gradually Yet it’s not all bad news. Togobo notes that “there is a strong desire among many people, male and female, working in the sector, to see this imbalance addressed and the barriers removed.” Men are a big part of the solution Men are key to this, she says. “I don't like to paint a picture of men being a problem. I see them as the solution, because all the men I meet are very positive, engaged and want to help. They just don’t know how. Yet if they see other men saying things that are inappropriate or are making others feel excluded, they need to call it out for what it is. If they only did that, it would massively change the culture for a lot of women at work. “I think awareness is coming to everyone gradually and I see a lot of hope. Certainly, for my children I believe the future is bright.” Read more at forwardladies.com/ stem-survey/ MEDIAPLANET

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Gender equality at executive level in the public sector: men must recognise that there is a problem and they are part of the solution

The business case for gender equality at the most senior level of organisations has been made time and time again. Despite this, achieving gender balance continues to challenge.

So, how does the public sector compare? Set against perceptions of better working conditions and a more favourable work life balance, the statistics for gender equality at senior levels of the public sector are surprisingly not much better. In a study investigating gender equality at executive level across the Northern Ireland (NI) public sector, a team led by Professor Joan Ballantine, Ulster University reveal some interesting findings: • Women held just 29% of all executive level positions. • Some parts of the public sector are doing better (health and education) than others (local government, senior civil service) in moving towards gender equality in executive level positions.

• On a positive note, organisations with a female chair are one and a half times more likely to have greater number of females employed at executive level. The data reported speaks for itself gender inequalities exist in the public sector. So, what explains the levels of gender inequality found in the NI public sector? Using data collected from a survey of 3,186 responses and over 100 interviews with current and aspiring executives (both male and female), MEDIAPLANET

Informal communication networks can exclude women While a range of barriers were identified as having an impact on career progression for both males and females, some specific barriers were identified by females more as impacting on their potential to advance to senior levels. For example, exclusion from informal networks of communication and the existence of a long-hours culture were cited as specific barriers faced by females alone.1 Flexible working not available in senior positions Also, surprisingly, while flexible working is available in all organisations making up the NI public sector, interviewees reported that a gap exists between the rhetoric of current policies and the reality. For example, many interviewees (both male and female) reported negative perceptions around flexible working: ‘senior positions can only be undertaken on a fulltime basis’, ‘those using flexible working arrangements are not committed to their organisation’, and ‘it is difficult to progress to senior levels if you are availing of flexible working’. Senior executives must be held accountable for the advancement of aspiring females The data also highlighted some stark differences between male and female executives regarding their perceptions of organisational culture and female stereotyping in the public sector. For example, females indicated that their organisation has not devoted sufficient resources to promoting gender equality at executive level and that holding senior executives accountable for

the advancement of aspiring females is important. While many differences were found between the views of current and aspiring executives, both males and females, much greater agreement was reported for the benefits of gender balanced boards in terms of their ability to: lead to more deliberate, collaborative and careful decision making; facilitate different perspectives; and positively change or moderate behaviours. What can be done to improve gender equality in the public sector? Based on the study, the team from Ulster University make several strategic, policy and process recommendations.

In particular, the potential role of targets, the positive impact of a senior Gender Champion and the need to collect robust gender equality data are important for progress. The study has helped to shed significant insights into the issues which impact on gender equality at the executive level of the public sector. However, it is imperative that the debate around gender equality in the public sector is not viewed as a female issue only – men too must recognise that there is a problem and that they are part of the solution to addressing it. The authors gratefully acknowledge funding received from the Office of the Minister and Deputy First Minister (now the Executive Office), which made this research possible.

caring responsibilities for dependent children

If you would like to discuss the results of the research in more detail or get insights into what they might mean in the context of your own organisation, please contact Professor Joan Ballantine (joan.ballantine@ ulster.ac.uk or 028 90366204)

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colleagues’ negative reactions to using flexible work arrangements

lack of recognition for work-life balance lack of awareness of organisation politics

long hours culture

lack of opportunity to work on challenging assignments

• Horizontal segregation still exists, with senior female executives more likely to be employed in gender stereotypical roles such as human resources.

employed across the NI public sector, the team from Ulster University were able to piece together a picture of some of the issues contributing to gender inequalities.

exclusion from informal networks of communication

he UK private sector has been strongly criticised for its lack of progress in increasing the number of female executive directors at board level. Yet, while a great deal of attention has been paid to ‘balance is better’ within the private sector, less attention has been given to this issue in the public sector.

JOAN BALLANTINE BA MSC, PHD, FCCA Ulster University Business School

Barriers to Career Progression for Females Only in the N.I. Public Sector 1

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When was the last time you or your organisation took a chance on someone?

SIMONE ROCHE MBE CEO & Founder, Northern Power Women

The conversations around the future of inclusivity and diversity are happening now, but I think it is up to us to encourage movement, action and impact. Let me ask you a question when was the last time your organisation took a chance on someone?

hirty years ago, when I stood on the bridge of a Royal Navy warship patrolling the Gulf, I couldn’t have imagined that I would go on to create Northern Power Women (NPW). The largest and most impactful gender community in the North, NPW has gathered and cultivated a diverse community of women and men who are accelerating gender equality across a range of sectors and roles. It was the opportunity given to me by my commanding officer in the navy, who took a chance on me, and insisted that this short northern lass took a chance. The power of new people Now is the time for you to take a chance on someone new, for your organisation to embrace mentoring,

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support and encouragement. Last year, my team and I launched Northern Power Futures, a campaign designed to support both young people and employers in the North – to provide them with the connections, skills and information on the exciting opportunities around the future world of work. Embracing the experiences and knowledge of others can bring out the best in ourselves, make our own strengths come to the surface and make a difference in everything we do. We welcome around 10% of our audiences from underserved communities but it’s the 90% who will help to make a significant difference by taking a chance on young people, up and coming talent and those who are seeking to retrain or return to work.

Diversity in senior management opens up communication You can’t be what you can’t see. Seeing a diverse range of people with a seat at the table creates role models and creates a space for people who are overlooked, amplifying their voices. This creates a wider community and opens opportunities, experiences and connects people. Today, I feel we have managed to move the conversation forward with employers now being more aware of the need – and business benefit – of a having diverse workforce and senior leadership team. Diverse boards outperform their rivals and continuing positive action is required now to end the inequality in organisations and pick up the pace of progress. Our Northern Power Women Awards

celebrates those change-makers, returners and pipeline talent that are making these changes that are happening right now. A Northern regional approach to tackling gender inclusivity is a bold and innovative move; it will help develop workplace equality for everyone and create a considerable competitive advantage in attracting and retaining the best skills and talent. Bringing women together in the North has allowed individuals to achieve amazing things through these connections and networks. We want to signpost people to the immense talent that’s here in the North and create a significant shift in agenda. Why is it critical to ‘pay it forward’? I believe paying it forward is an

opportunity to have impact. I think of it as the best advice I never got, and I used the chance to pass that on to someone who can use it to influence their career and change their career too. Paying it forward could be mentoring, taking the time to listen or using your skills and experience to leverage change. I see it is as an opportunity for companies and organisations to address gender imbalance and diversity issues and discover new talent by taking a chance. It could be something small that can have a huge impact, so pay it forward today and enjoy the rewards that follow.

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Managing long-term projects with short-term goals Long-term project management demands commitment to a long-distance goal. Sarah Smithson motivates her team by providing clear, day-to-day, tactical direction while navigating long-term strategic objectives and ensuring that every member of her team feels empowered to reach their potential.

here can be few industries that require project managers to combine patience with diplomacy and communication skills so well as the defence industry. It is these soft skills that Sarah Smithson believes will ensure the young people training in project management will progress to management level at missile systems manufacturer, MBDA. As a Business and Project Management Executive at MBDA she is well-placed to observe how these attributes, combined with hard work and training, are crucial to the success of projects that can last anything from 10 to 40 years. In these long-term projects, no project manager is expected to oversee a new system from cradle to grave. Instead each project manager is required to make sure incremental steps are taken on time, and to budget, to keep long-term plans on track. “Much of my role is getting the balance right between long-term thinking and pushing a project forward,” she explains. “Any project manager will know MEDIAPLANET

the natural tension between futureproofing what you are working on today with the need to keep a project moving forwards to deliver it on time and to budget. To do that, I need to work closely with my chief engineer, each project’s management team and multiple stakeholders throughout the business, such as engineering, commercial, finance and procurement. It’s a varied mix. Then there is obviously the customer and their broader sponsors, who are paying for the new capability,” says Smithson. “It is the ultimate project management challenge; being able to communicate well with people and take them along with you so, everyone is singing from the same proverbial hymn sheet.” A larger sense of purpose drives the team Keeping teams involved in the minutia of a long-term project so it is kept on track and within budget may sound like a tall order when nobody is likely to be involved for more than part of the project length. It is helped, though, with team-

wide understanding of the greater purpose of coming into work each day, Smithson maintains. “As a project manager at MBDA you always have bear in mind that we are all a part of a very important process that defends our nation’s freedoms,” she says. “MBDA is the only European group capable of designing and producing missiles and missile systems that correspond to the full range of current and future operational needs of the three armed forces (land, sea and air). So, at some point in the future, our armed forces are going to need us to have done our jobs to make sure they have the best equipment at their disposal. That equipment must do exactly what it says on the tin and be delivered at the right time, at the right cost, to the right specifications.” Flexible roles attract diverse talent Smithson is very optimistic about the future. Although there is still some work to be done to achieve the right balance of diversity at the senior levels within MBDA UK,

SARAH SMITHSON Business and Project Management Executive, MBDA

she feels the business is doing all it can do provide a flexible working environment, which will ensure the best female and male talent is attracted and retained. She has certainly never felt held back or constrained in her career path. She joined MBDA after university, working initially in facilities management roles before getting her break as a project manager a decade ago. With a new role within the main business came more responsibility but also plenty of training to ensure she was fully qualified for her developing career. She would have no hesitation in recommending her career, and employer. “I think things are really improving in gender balance because project management, to me at least, is one of those areas where the soft skills so many women naturally have, or have developed, are so vital,” she says. “I suspect some women may have felt in the past that defence is a male industry but that’s changing. I can safely predict, from all the young women I’m seeing rise through the

ranks, that MBDA is doing all it can to make sure the best person for the job is selected, irrespective of gender. I am certainly enjoying a rewarding and successful career where I’ve taken two bouts of maternity leave and have seen many male colleagues who have taken paternity leave too.” “Flexible working will give young people the confidence to apply for roles within MBDA and encourage them to stay if they choose to raise a family,” says Smithson. It is by attracting and then, crucially, retaining top talent, she predicts, that the company can expect to continue its work in achieving a more gender-balanced workforce that will rise through the ranks and bring greater diversity at managerial levels.

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