She Rocks Business is a brand-new, close-knit network for Female Leaders and allies. A forum to connect with and learn from your peers, and take newfound inspiration and relationships into your day-to-day.
We created the community with Shakespeare Martineau when we spotted an opportunity to build something special.
The vision was clear. The need and appetite were both there. Marie Smith, Associate Partner at Cooper Parry Wealth and founder of our Female Leaders initiative hosted the East Midlands launch event, while Suzanne Leggott, Head of Wealth and Partner at Shakespeare Martineau did the honours in the West Midlands.
Now, as the dust settles on two evenings that will live long in the memory, we’re delighted to say they smashed all our expectations out of the park.
An infectious atmosphere, invaluable insights and never-ending conversation made sure of that. And one of our guests put it perfectly: “You know that feeling when you’re in the right room with the right people? That was last night in a nutshell.”
Those people were female leaders and allies from some of the UK’s most exciting and influential organisations. Brought together as a community to meet each other, tell their stories and get their questions answered.
The cleaners politely kicking us out in the East Midlands over an hour after the event had ‘finished’ tells you all you need to know about the evening’s unstoppable buzz.
Here are the best bits. See you at the next one?
GEMS GALORE FROM AN AWE-INSPIRING GUEST
We were honoured to have Professor Helen Pankhurst CBE kicking things off at our launch events. Helen is a leading women’s rights activist, Senior Adviser to CARE International, and great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, organiser of the British suffragette movement.
Helen has built on her family’s work admirably, inspiring and uplifting women the world over, and our She Rocks Business events were no different.
So much has changed since the Pankhurst name came onto society’s radar. “I’ve seen the journey of my mother and my grandmother,” one of our guests shared, “and although they’re both successful in their own right, I can see how quickly my progression is compared to them.”
At the same time, there’s still so much to be done. So much to be fought for. And Helen spoke of continuing gender inequalities, concerns around safety and how women are often still valued based on how they look, as opposed to what they say like men.
“This lack of safety infects everything else,” Helen said. “Politics, the workplace, cultural spaces, the books we read, the films we watch. Maybe, just maybe, with more women in parliament who really get it, that issue of safety will be addressed in a more holistic way.”
This led neatly to Helen’s involvement with Centenary Action – a coalition looking at the barriers to women in politics and pushing for a gender-equal parliament by 2028.
Today, women constitute 51% of our population, and now, after the elections, 40% of MPs are female. “That figure is better than it was,” Helen continued, “but it’s not 50%, and if we don’t address the culture and have the structural solutions in place to keep that number from falling back, it will.”
Centenary Action, which is a collation of many organisations, is amongst other things pushing for more transparency and asking all political parties to publish action plans on how they’re addressing gender equality.
Helen underscored the value of collaboration and communities – just like She Rocks Business – and her increasing interest in female leaders in the private sector.
“If we can create networks between politics and business we can inform both sides,” she told us. “Politicians who are linked to women in business, they know where to go, and this can lead to critical political changes and improve women’s lives.”
Everything Helen has achieved and her relentless drive to spark more positive change on the journey to gender equality are beyond inspiring. And as she took her seat to rapturous applause, and our panel took to the stage, the calibre of female leaders in the UK’s private sector quickly became apparent.
OUR POWER-PACKED PANEL
Fast-moving, nugget-filled, bursting with collaboration, the first She Rocks Business panel discussion was a tour de force.
Covering a broad spectrum of topics across the business, leadership and impact spheres, the conversation was breathlessly fruitful.
We’ve picked out some of the biggest topics below.
HOW IMPORTANT IS MENTORING?
Natalie Gasson-McKinley MBE is a Senior Manager in the British Business Bank’s Policy & Strategy team. Her role involves nurturing founders and ensuring entrepreneurs can access the finance they need regardless of who and where they are.
When Natalie was awarded her MBE for services to businesses in the East Midlands, she was also recognised for using her voice to make sure women from ethnic minorities took up positions of influence, and mentorship has played a big part in her already brilliant career.
“Mentorship is really important,” she told us. “Trailblazing can be lonely, and to keep your tank full, you need a really strong tribe around you. If you’re having a crap day and don’t want to do it anymore, having someone you can pick up the phone to and have that conversation, it’s really powerful. I’m very privileged to still have a mentor. I listen to her. She listens to me. And that shapes her environment too. It’s a two-way dialogue.”
Building these mutually beneficial connections and support networks is exactly why we launched She Rocks Business. And if our launch events are anything to go by, there’ll be plenty more connections to come.
HOW DO YOU CREATE SUCCESS IN YOUR TEAM?
A critical question for any leader, and one on which Victoria Tester, Managing Director of Shakespeare Martineau shared her wisdom.
“Having a team of people that have diversity of thought is key,” Victoria explained. “You need to take people with varying degrees of experience, including those who have just come into a role, and find a balance between those with a fresh view of life in your team and those who have been in the role for 20+ years, building trust to speak openly, collaboratively, and honestly about things.”
Sarah King, CEO & Co-Founder of Obu, added: “It’s really important to set out where we’re heading. What’s the vision? The purpose? What values are important to us? Entrepreneurial work doesn’t have a rulebook. So, we might not know what we’re going to do, but this is how we’re going to be with each other, our stakeholders, our customers.
This gives your team the freedom to go and experiment and figure it out for themselves. That’s when exciting things can start to happen. Of course, there are guardrails around that. Having regular conversations about what success and ‘good’ look like, honest conversations about when we get it wrong, creating an environment where we’re trying new things and learning all the time.
Things change a lot, and the environment can be volatile. The only way for teams to be successful is by being open, building trust and learning together.”
HOW CAN WE BALANCE SUSTAINABILITY WITH GROWTH?
Another huge, planet-sized conundrum on every business’ plate. As a Certified B Corp, it’s something we’ve spent a great deal of time on at Cooper Parry, and soon, we’ll be hosting an event dedicated solely to this question. If you’d like to register your interest, drop us a note at events@cooperparry.com.
“It’s absolutely imperative that our growth as businesses, society and a country is sustainable,” Victoria explained. “We’re very slowly realising that being environmentally friendly isn’t a choice, but continuing that movement within business and society, it’s complicated. The more we choose the businesses we work with, the banks we invest with and how we live our lives and lead our businesses based on these factors, the more impact we can have.”
One of our guests chipped in: “We look for ways to be sustainable all the time but it’s so costly. If you can’t get the investment or applications take ages, how can we be more sustainable if we don’t have the money to do it?”
“From a startup perspective,” Sarah said, “we need to look at B Corp for example and how the process can be daunting for small businesses. Intent is important, being present, having that conversation with investors, shareholders. Tell them, we’re struggling with this but it’s important for us. Having investors who recognise the importance of that removes the tension on the journey. You can make decisions with a sustainability angle and focus. Talk to other entrepreneurs, work together, experiment together. Some of the richest learnings come from that.”
“We’re a B Corp,” Victoria continued, “and it takes an awful lot to get there. Looking at suppliers for example and working with them to give them the knowledge and expertise we need to attain B Corp status. There’s a big chain of events depending on what your business does or provides. The more larger businesses work with smaller businesses and share our knowledge and expertise, the better. That’s a big piece in the puzzle.”
At Cooper Parry, B Corp support is one of our five Sustainability Advisory offerings, and we’re always keen to chat with, help and learn from other sustainability-powered businesses. Check out this page to find out more.
Amid lively discussion in the audience on this huge topic, Helen told us a story of Emmeline Pankhurst’s daughter, Adela, who was interested in environmental issues way back in the early 1900s.
Adela was walking with a child, and when she saw some litter, she asked the child to pick it up. When the child asked why, she explained that small steps like picking up litter will change how you view the world.
“Even if we can’t change the world, we can change our relationship with it,” Helen said.
A wonderful line, and one which captures the importance of us all doing what we can in these collective missions towards gender equality and a sustainable planet.
ONE PIECE OF ADVICE FOR YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
After a panel discussion worthy of a thesis in the East Midlands, it seems fitting to end on our panellists’ one piece of golden advice.
“Things take time,” Natalie told us. “I dropped out of university and did it again when I was ready. Don’t always be scared when you don’t have the answers. I’ve had a ‘squiggly career’, but I’ve always trusted my gut as opposed to what other people have planned, mapped out and expected of me.”
“Don’t try and be something you’re not,” Victoria added, “and the reassurance to do it your way and be yourself.”
“Don’t wait for permission,” Sarah continued. “Give yourself permission, particularly around using your voice. Quite often, whether it’s linked to imposter syndrome or not having it figured out yet, using your voice then can be the most powerful time. Being vulnerable is when you build the best connections.”
The undeniable strength of community and connection was a recurring theme all evening. When we work together, share and learn, we can achieve great things and fast-track change.
She Rocks Business embodies all that and more, and we wanted to sign off by saying a heartfelt thank you to everyone who came to our launch events for two special evenings.
There’ll be plenty more to come, and we hope to see you there.
