74 | Tees Business
TEES TALK
Only three women made the top 30 in the annual Tees Business poll to discover Teesside ’ s Most Inspiring Businesspeople . Is there a problem ? Do you think there are enough female entrepreneurs and business leaders on Teesside ? Does more need to be done ? We asked poll winner Bill Scott and seven female businesswomen for their thoughts …
Sharon Lane , managing director , Tees Components “ I ’ m surprised there are only three women who made the poll ’ s top 30 . Around one in five business owners are women , and around one in four board members , so it sounds like there are perhaps some successful but shy businesswomen on Teesside that we don ’ t know about !
“ The reality is that if a young woman has a great business idea , considers founding a company but has no visible female role models , she is likely to be more than a little discouraged . So it ’ s important that we continue to highlight women leaders in all sectors .”
Bill Scott , managing director , Wilton Engineering “ There ’ s some phenomenal female business talent in our area . People who have heard me talk know I often speak about ‘ girl power ’ but I would love more female business leaders to grasp the nettle , to stand up and be counted .
“ More of them need to fly the flag by telling their story to inspire others – women and men – but my personal view is that companies that don ’ t have any women on their board are missing out on what is often a different mindset .”
Amanda Skelton , chief executive , Redcar & Cleveland Council “ Long-term this issue can only be addressed by building the self-confidence and career aspirations of girls at school . Academically , girls are doing well , but it ’ s important that they do not rule themselves out of career options which have traditionally been considered the domain of men , and that they are encouraged to channel their natural creativity into entrepreneurship .
“ It ’ s also important that the Tees Valley continues to diversify the local economy and values the vital contribution of service and creative industries where women excel .”
Susan Theobald , market leader , Barclays Middlesbrough “ I ’ m lucky enough to meet fantastic business leaders , both men and women , from across the region , and the figures do surprise me . I can only think that Teesside has been built on heavy industries such as chemicals and steel , which traditionally - with exceptions – were maledominated industries .
“ The decline of these industries , I believe , is giving women more and more opportunities to showcase leadership skills across new sectors , such as digital , as well as more ‘ traditional ’ sectors , such as manufacturing and engineering .”
Kirsten Donkin , PR and communications manager , PD Ports “ In the logistics industry , which for generations has been heavily male-dominated , we ’ re seeing an increasing number of females being recruited into a number of roles including senior management positions .
“ One of the key priorities for the region ’ s businesses has to be aimed at offering greater insight into a variety of sectors and to showcase the career opportunities that would encourage more females into roles that they may have pre-conceived ideas are geared towards their male counterparts .”
Allison Routledge , investment executive , FW Capital “ It is very disappointing that only three of those voted Teesside ’ s 30 most inspiring business people are women . We have a wealth of great women in business in Teesside , often the unsung heroes of businesses .
“ Perhaps we ’ re not good enough at promoting ourselves ... we just get on with the job in hand . In 36 years working in a professional organisation , I ’ ve seen a gradual but not sufficiently significant increase in middle and top-tier women .
“ We have different skills to bring to the table that are often overlooked - often higher emotional intelligence , which is becoming increasingly important in business .”
Karen Eve , centre manager , Castlegate Shopping Centre “ I think there are many female business leaders and entrepreneurs in Teesside but our region is predominantly recognised for its industrial heritage . As such , the engineering , petrochemical and manufacturing industries continue to have a big profile .
“ The nature of these industries means that they attract a larger percentage of male employees . That said , other sectors such as law , education , training , marketing and housing all have high-profile women in the driving seat .”
Mel Thompson , managing director , KMS Partners “ Typically , women do tend to downplay their achievements and concentrate on the things that can be improved , rather than celebrating their successes .
“ We need to consciously encourage women in business to share their experiences and successes , perhaps using the three nominated females in the Tees Business poll as a platform to do this .
“ I ’ m a huge supporter of encouraging our young women to believe they can achieve their career goals and aspirations and not be shy about sharing their success .”