What do you identify as some of the prevalent issues that women face in business?
Women have to balance work and family responsibilities. And sometimes this can mean that women may be viewed as less committed to work because they often have family commitments but as long as the job gets done, does the time-keeping matter?
Working mums are very efficient in time management as they have to get the job done. Technology improvements have assisted in better time management and working from home.
The lack of senior or visibly successful female role models in business can also be a real issue, but I am not convinced all woman want senior roles and we should only promote on ability and hunger for the job, not gender as this will have a long-term negative effect.
How do you perceive female representation across the consumer sector generally, and at your level? How is the landscape is changing?
More certainly needs to be done to ensure equality at a senior level in the retail sector. Only 13 out 100 on the Retail Week Power List 2015 were women.
I donât see many barriers if you really want the senior roles, but this is a subject that can be controversial. Woman are having babies later in life and may not want the stresses of a challenging senior role and a young family. I think it is important that flexible working patterns are offered to balance the various pulls of life.
How important is the â?women in leadershipâ agenda to you and to your organisation? And how are you pushing it forward?
I have a team of 50:50 men and women from a variety of different backgrounds. I value every member based on what they contribute regardless of gender.
The retail industry is male-dominated so I would hope that my impact will help break down barriers for other women coming into the profession. You need to be tough and resilient as a woman but, equally, you donât need to tread on others to succeed.
With all your career accomplishments, what are the principles, philosophies and guidelines that have brought you this far? What do you live by?
I champion team spirit, recognise individual investment, and reward people for their effort and success. Everyone has a voice and equity in Kiddylicious.
This approach has been key to building a cohesive, dynamic team of â?can-doâ professionals each with complementary skills. I encourage a non-bureaucratic culture and like to be a constant point of contact for every employee.
I aim to be reliable and relatable so the team know and are inspired by our joint vision. As a working mother I appreciate and operate a â?task not timeâ culture allowing parents flexibility within the company. I try to be a warm and passionate professional encouraging honest feedback.
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