Supporting and guiding the next generation of women in safety

How do you think you have benefited from the Women in Safety leadership programme? 

As a woman working in a male dominated industry, it can be a challenge sometimes to be noticed, get heard and be listened to, but the Women in Safety programme helped me to communicate in a more flexible manner, and adjust to the people I was trying to influence. It has sharpened my skillset, made me a more effective leader and given me solutions to communicate more effectively with the decision makers I support in my role. And amazingly, it has also connected me to likeminded women all over the globe. 

What changes have you implented following completion of the Women in Safety leadership programme? 

During the programme, we were asked to set a personal vision for the difference we wanted to make in the industry and define three key goals we wanted to achieve in the next 6-12 months, and with a fantastic mentor by my side who opened no end of doors and opportunities for me to enhance my connectedness and visibility, I achieved all of them. I have returned to public speaking, published my first article on road safety and finally submitted my portfolio for IOSH fellowship after 19 years of feeling stuck at Chartership level.

Beyond these goals, I continue to proactively share my knowledge to influence the industry more widely, through steering committees and volunteer roles where I can share my subject matter expertise on road safety and wellbeing. The programme has made me more aware of my strengths, and I am using them to find the opportunities where I know I can make the biggest difference and thrive.

​Within my organisation I am noticing the impact of my newfound confidence, self-belief and enhanced communication skills.  I am being sought out to deliver some exciting projects and find that senior leaders now come to me for advice, much more than they used to. I am also excited to have been named a finalist in the Unsung Hero of the Year category of the Northamptonshire Logistics Awards.

What vision do you have for the future of women in safety?

Although my time on the programme has now finished, it is just the beginning for me, as I signed up to be a mentor to future Women in Safety programme participants and am already mentoring two more women leaders in safety. I am also giving back to the profession in other ways, doing more volunteering, presenting my knowledge and encouraging and supporting early career women in safety professionals to progress as leaders.

​I want to make a difference that is visible for the next working generation from a safety and wellbeing perspective, and I think the Women in Safety leadership programme has instilled in me a new level of self-belief and determination to make it a reality.