Hosted at Cobalt Central Newcastle in collaboration with Accenture, the first Women in Leadership Panel brought together influential female leaders from across the business park for a powerful discussion on confidence, empowerment, and career journeys. Laura Healy-Hayes (Internal Communications & Engagement Lead at Accenture) hosted the session with panellists Suzanne Sherriff (Delivery Lead Senior Manager at Accenture), Faye Beattie (Lead Business Analyst at Newcastle Building Society), Laura Hardy (Team Leader at EE) and Kelli Turner (General Counsel & Director of ESG at Village Hotels). The panel shared honest reflections on their career paths, from talking about the challenges faced early on in their career journeys and the key decisions that led them to where they are in their lives now as well as the supportive male allies and female figures in their lives that inspired and supported them throughout their respective journeys.
A key theme throughout the discussion was confidence both inside and outside of work – with Kelli sharing how when she first started off in the Boardroom her Liverpudlian accent made her feel like maybe she didn’t belong at first as it made her stand out and feel self-conscious; something our other northeastern panellists nodded their heads at in understanding, a clear affinity between the group that was created from the offset. Each of the panellists reflected and agreed on a shared big lesson they all had learned over the years – no one is going to hand you the map to your future, you need to understand what’s important to you, make your own plan and go take action.
They talked about how motherhood can affect your career journey whether that be the challenges or the positives, it has a huge impact on women’s careers. Each panellist shared their management and leadership techniques as well as their passions, all of which seemed to centre around building community, something we know women in leadership truly excel at. The panellists and our attendees conversed on how to define success on their own terms, and how it’s important to figure out what your own values are and then build on that. They also finished by highlighting the importance of mentorship, community, and creating environments where women can thrive and support one another. A successful event that went beyond just storytelling – with open honest conversations that created connection, kinship and left everyone with food for thought. Our attendees left feeling inspired, empowered, and united by the shared goal of advancing women in leadership across industries by uplifting our future female leaders and ensuring that they support each other through their journeys into leadership.