1. I’m often asked what I believe is the way to be successful as a woman in an environment that is predominantly
male, particularly true of Operations in any company. I always find it a difficult question to answer, as I have
never thought about it in that context – and have never known any different environment in my career.
But I do believe that there is a style that is more successful in this type of environment. This is probably
gender-agnostic, although recently I undertook training with my regional Ops team on Unconscious Bias.
Within the training, we discussed stereotypes – the way that small boys and girls play naturally, and how this
manifests itself into the preferred style that often men and women exhibit at work.
So despite my discomfort in talking about what my own experiences have been, I acknowledge that there is a
difference in the way that different genders handle themselves in the workplace, and that can have the effect
of making success more challenging, and result in an imbalance in gender representation in the workplace.
That’s what we have today in the company that I work for. However, what’s great is that BAT is starting to look
at gender balance as being an important element in a company that prides itself on “Strength through
diversity” – as one of its guiding principles. That’s diversity in terms of nationality and gender – important
because of our consumer demographic, as well as the richness of thought that comes from an inclusive
environment.
Recently I was invited by BAT to participatein a panel during a course run exclusively for the top female talent
in our organisation. The Women in Leadership course has been run since 2011 and gathers high potential
women from all around the world. This course creates an amazingly trusting and open atmosphere, where
females can raise their voice and share challenges they might not discuss with their line manager. They get
equipped with tools and techniques in how to be authentic in their leadership roles, how to "lean in" and how
to ensure their presence and gravitas.
Being on the panel was a rewarding experience. Together with two other senior women from BAT we each
talked through our own stories, our ways of finding support and confidence in what we did – I would have
loved to have this experience earlier in my career. I wish all these BAT ladies every success and feel proud of
BAT for offering such opportunities to take affirmative action to improve the diversity of their employee base.