Our CEO, Paula Sussex, said: “For me, #BreakTheBias, as a women Chief Executive, means being there, being present, turning up doing the big jobs and being yourself, being authentic.”
Audrey McColl, our CFO, has had a slightly different career journey. She left school and went straight into the workplace, studying at night and in between her family commitments to gain her qualifications.
She added: “I was lucky to get the support I needed at every stage of my career to take that next step. I joined SLC six months ago and I was encouraged to see that there were already a number of women in senior positions – women’s creativity is definitely valued here and there is no glass ceiling.”
Bernice McNaught is our Executive Director for Repayments and Customer Compliance and also leads our transformation. She is passionate about STEM and encouraging young women to consider a career in the field.
She said: “If STEM interests you and you want to learn more about it, be confident to go and find out. Science and technology are disciplines, so you need to apply your intelligence, but have the confidence to do that and have the confidence to keep asking questions.”
Paula was also delighted to participate in an International Women’s Day virtual event with Tesco Bank. She shared her view on being a senior leader in industry, reflected on her career journey and what advice she would give to her younger self. Here are some of her soundbites from what she said.
On her career journey:
To be a CEO, you need a breadth of experience which I have been lucky enough to have gained over the years. I am passionate to afford a similar opportunity at SLC, through our work on Career Pathways. Our comprehensive programme, offering colleagues the chance to upskill and forge ahead in their own careers.
Advice for her younger self:
You do what you are passionate about. Be there. Be present. Be visible.
Follow the passion for the roles you have, keep moving onwards and upwards. I hope it’s changing but in my generation a lot of utterly brilliant women said, ‘I don’t know if that’s for me’. If you can’t get there, you can’t change it, and you have to change it from as much the outside as the inside.
Imposter syndrome
I tend to find its young women who will share their deep lack of confidence in the workplace, and that’s natural and normal, but go and talk to someone, don’t let it fester. Very often, it’s more likely to be women that say, ‘I don’t know if I can do that or if I am good enough’ and that’s more often likely to be wrong, and you need someone who will say ‘no you are brilliant at that’.
Equality in business
Absolute equality of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation is vital. So, if you are working in a workplace that doesn’t recognise that, then it might not be the place for you. Take your talent and flourish somewhere else where the playing field is level.
Informal mentoring
With informal mentoring, sometimes you’re not even aware you’re doing it but then five years later someone thanks you for really helping them and the impact you had. You could just be working with someone, talking to someone on a regular basis, it doesn’t have to be formal. It’s vital to make time for your team. And have half an eye for those who might need more focussed conversation and pull them out.
The role of allyship
Something that is quite powerful is the visual cues of having women in senior positions, particularly in the technical roles, which is what we have at SLC and is influential. In my early career, I would routinely be the only woman in the meeting but having open-minded men who would support me in my career was essential.
At SLC, half of our technology graduate apprentices are women. It’s a tough nut to crack but by seeing other women doing it, gives people the confidence to go for it.
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