Wonder Women Business Panel
A study by Experian of 2.7m businesses found that the overall number of directors rose by 700,000 between 2007 and 2012, with the increase in female
directors outstripping that of men by 24pc compared to 15pc.
Experian said that taking into account business failures and new-start-ups during the period, as well as changes to the directorships of surviving businesses, 240,000 more female directors have been appointed overall.
While small companies are still more likely than large firms to have female directors, Experian found that the gap between the two is narrowing.
Due to this we are launching this year our Wonder Women Business Panel - a group of expert women in business offering advice, insight and tips on how to get ahead in the corporate world.
Wonder Women Business Panel, a fantastic group of experienced women in wide-ranging fields, who can tell it like it is being a woman in business today. Some members of our panel are mothers, some are not. Some are at the coalface of industry, having set up their own business and turned it into a success, others have worked their way to the top in a corporate environment.
Together they will provide a unique but collective "voice" for women in business on some of the industry stories hitting the headlines, as well as offering expert advice and expertise on how to get ahead in business.
The Panel:
Jackie Chappell—Sue Ryder Business Women of the Year 2013 & The 1st Woman CEO of British Rail
Jackie had a successful career in the rail industry where she rose from being a part-time employee selling tickets to become the Chief Executive of the Industry's Training and Competence Company, making her the first ever women CEO in the rail industry.
Following this career, Jackie created her own company, Ironing Lady, which in the last 10 years has developed a reputation for quality and innovation and now employs 20 people. Jackie is very keen to make sure her staff have the opportunity to develop and achieve their full potential through skills and external qualifications. Despite being a fantastic leader, she is always happy to 'muck in' to get a job done.
Pam Warren turned a disaster into the most positive thing to ever happen to her.
In October 1999, Pam’s life as a financial advisor was turned on its head when she was involved, and severely injured, in the Paddington Rail Crash. Two trains collided head on at a combined crash speed of 130mph.
31 people were killed, and 227 were taken to hospital – Pam amongst them. Her injuries were so serious that she wasn’t expected to pull through.
Not only did she pull through, she underwent scores of operations to help rebuild her badly burned body and endured wearing a plastic mask over her face for 23 hours of each day over the ensuing 18 months. She became the public face of the disaster – ‘the lady in the mask’.
Following the crash, Pam became the leading spokesperson for improving rail safety. Her battle saw her lock horns with rail management executives and government ministers - eventually bringing down Transport Secretary Stephen Byers MP for lying in the House of Commons – as well as being smeared by Prime Minister Tony Blair. She was dubbed a trouble maker, but in fact her tenacity helped bring about massive changes in rail safety.
Over a decade on, having suffered a turbulent marriage along with mental and physical scars from the crash, Pam no longer regards herself as a victim. She uses her experiences to help others who have been affected by disfigurement or burns and has become an inspiration to many.
She has had to re-invent herself in the workplace and is now a Professional Speaker and member of the PSA UK. She is also a fully qualified project manager as well as a consultant in a variety of roles working with the likes of BBC Radio Berkshire, Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust, The Healing Foundation and has done theatre talks with her friend, Simon Weston, the Falklands war hero.
Samina Hussain - mother of three and grandmother
was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in August 2014 at the age of 45. Her diagnosis shook her world and for a second she was lost for words. Samina underwent surgery, Chemotherapy and a
Radiotherapy in the last 6 months.
Those that know Samina describe her as a confident vibrant energetic woman who spent 16 years working for Slough Borough Council leading on employment and skills and is currently working for
London Borough of Hounslow as Skills and Employment Strategy Manager.
Samina is passionate about giving back
and during her treatment had arranged a number of fundraising and awareness events with the community and business to support Ashford Chemotherapy Suite at King a Edward Hospital Windsor.
Cancer does not just effect the patient but the whole community. Breaking the taboo on cancer and raising awareness especially in Asian community is important for Samina as she is actively
promoting regular checks and early detection. Businesses can support in a number of different ways to make a difference to a cancer patient life.
Samina believes that life is not about waiting for the storm to pass but learning to dance in the rain .
Saira Majid is a Chartered Management Accountant and the Community Business Advisor at Slough Borough Council (SBC).
Saira has been running her own accountancy practise for over 12 years. Saira loves running a her
own business and the flexibility of still being able to be there for her family.
As a Community Business Advisor, Saira’s task is to deliver a Business Start up Project. The project covers a 5 week business academy to teach new entrepreneurs all the basic skills they need to set up their business. She also runs networking events at Slough Aspire, facilitates the Slough Aspire Business Start Up Awards and various other workshops. In the four years of running this project, she has helped over 800 start ups in Slough. Saira is very passionate about what she does and is keen to run an exemplar project for the town.
In her spare time she volunteers as a Mosaic Mentor on the Enterprise Challenge Programme.
Key Achievements:
Nov 13 – National Award from Mosaic Princess Badiya Mentor of the Year 2013
June 2014 - Slough Aspire – Outstanding Business Advisor 2014
March 2014 – Was invited to give a speech at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Westminster, for International Womens Day.
Nov 2014 – Invited by HRH the Prince Of Wales to attend a celebration dinner at Sandringham Palace.
REGISTER ON BELOW FORM / LINK TO ATTEND THE WONDER WOMEN BUSINESS PANEL:
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