Women Leading the Way
A panel of women leaders assemble in Cathedral event to inspire and talk about the journey of female career from obstacles to revelations.
The event was part of the Cathedral Summer Festival which has been hosting a range of music and family events throughout the first week of July. Bishop Mary opened the event, which fell on the day the country was voting in the general election, with a prayer for all leaders.
Held in the aptly named ‘Lady Chapel’ the audience of men and women heard from four inspirational women from STEM, charities, finance and retail, with a shared ambition to change and support others and inspire future generations. With reference to their leadership and entrepreneurial experiences, the group explored how we can better invest in women, and how we can empower our next generation of female entrepreneurs, decision-makers, thought-leaders and change-makers.
Host of the conversation, Emma Waddingham founded Legal News Wales - a community for the legal sector in Wales - in 2020, offering networks, events and insight to help build a robust legal profession in Wales. In this particular sector there are more female managing partners and directors than men but there are concerns that's not going to last.
In her introduction, Emma said, “For many reasons. We can't rest on the laurels of current leadership data. Which is why we need these special events and women-led narrative to inspire others by being seen and heard.”
Julie-Anne Hayes is the Chief Executive Officer at Principality Building Society. She said that although it was a man in leadership who gave her initial career opportunities, she encountered a ‘glass-ceiling’ when it came to her aspirations of reaching the CEO level of leadership. Childcare and maternity leave is often perceived to be a barrier to higher level leadership positions. Julie-Anne shared an anecdote where a man who was requesting maternity leave asked the question ‘but what will this break mean for my career’, a question contemplated by many women as they start a family but not always encountered or considered by male colleagues.
It was agreed by the penal that unfortunately there is still an unconscious gender bias in industries that are typically more male dominated. Professor Haley Gomez MBE is Head of School for Physics and Astronomy at Cardiff University. Haley found that when people put in an application for use of a telescope, the number of women approved was noticeably low. Recently the application system has changed to be anonymous and use of the telescope is granted based on the project it will be used for alone – no names included. “A judgement is made entirely on the science, on the idea, and now slightly more female colleagues are granted access but close to 50/50. So often we face that hurdle just to get out of the gate.”
Among the conversation, Haley also said that it took people longer to accept her gentler approach. She said it will be more equal when everyone can be confident in their own leadership style whereas currently, often women in leadership feel they have to make decisions quicker and be more assertive.
The panel concluded that empowering girls to aspire to be leaders in their careers must start from a young age down to the clothes they wear as children. The panel picked up on the difference in today’s society between boys shoes which are likely to be far sturdier with thicker soles that can withstand more wear and tear, and girls shoes which have thinner soles. Rhian Mannings MBE, said that down to being confident in their ability to run and jump as a child equally to boys can be inhibited by attire and sends the message that somethings are just not for them.
To close the event, the CEO of Welsh Women’s Aid, Sara Kirkpatrick concluded that women leadership and the equality of men and women is a whole society issue. Women’s Aid deal with vulnerable women everyday who have experienced gender-based violence. From industries to domestic life, women should not be disadvantaged due to their sex, and this change is down to us all.
More About the Panel
Professor Haley Gomez MBE
Professor Haley Gomez MBE is Head of School for Physics and Astronomy at Cardiff University.
Haley uses the most sensitive infrared cameras in space to reveal the origins of the building blocks of life - cosmic dust grains - and has published over 85 papers in the last 10 years. Her research has been recognized with an award from the Royal Astronomical Society for noteworthy contribution for an early career researcher. In 2015 she was also awarded a prestigious and highly competitive grant worth €1.8 million to measure the dust content of galaxies since the Big Bang.
Throughout her career, Haley has taken a leading role in bringing research to the public and, in particular, encouraging girls and children from disadvantaged backgrounds. She received an Inspire Wales Award in 2014 for most inspirational person in the Science and Technology Category for her work in this field.
Rhian Mannings MBE
Secondly, Rhian Mannings MBE is the founder of the grief charity 2Wish.
In February 2012, tragedy struck Rhian's family when her son, George died suddenly - with no sign of illness. Just days later Paul, her husband and Daddy to her three children - took his own life amidst the trauma of the loss of their son.
Motivated by a desire to ensure others would not have the same devastating experience after losing a child suddenly in hospital, Rhian set up the child bereavement charity '2wish'.
To date the charity has supported almost 7,000 individuals who experienced sudden and traumatic loss. The charity has recently expanded into England is the only service of its kind in the world. A phenomenal legacy for George and Paul.
Rhian is passionate about mental health and regularly speaks about her own struggles since losing her boys. In 2019, she was recognised in the New Year honour list and awarded an MBE and in 2020, rightly won a pride of Britain award.
Coldplay recently supported 2Wish Upon a Star by recording a special version of Sky Full Of Stars to be used on a new app which allows grieving families to dedicate a star to their loved ones in a virtual sky.
Elizabeth Rees
Joining them was Elizabeth Rees, a Cardiff-based designer and the founder of ElizaEliza, a purpose-driven, sustainably conscious fashion brand, devoted to enabling you to ignite conversations on the causes dear to your heart. Founded in 2016, Elizabeth developed ElizaEliza's mission to support and empower her customers to make meaningful connections to significant issues in their lives - from healthcare and wellbeing to the environment.
Recognising the power to make a difference, ElizaEliza began partnering with charities, starting with Unseen UK in Spring 2017. Subsequently, ElizaEliza launched its acclaimed V Collection with The Eve Appeal and The B Collection supporting CoppaFeel, amplifying important causes while inspiring conversations.
Julie-Ann Haines
Last was Julie-Ann Haines, the Chief Executive Officer at Principality Building Society. She is a strategic leader with 20 years' experience in the FMCG, Retail and Financial Services sectors.
Julie-Ann leads over 600 colleagues across Distribution, Marketing, Pricing, Customer Experience and Operations in the building society and in addition to her work at the Principality, Julie-Ann chairs the Council of Mortgage Lenders Cymru.
Her naturally inclusive mindset and her goal to create a more inclusive and fairer society for all, is reflected in the way the principality acts as well as thinks.
Julie-Ann has made a commitment to developing a truly inclusive culture in which everyone is invited, welcomed, valued, listened to, respected for their uniqueness and celebrated for their achievements.