Our purpose in organising the intercollegiate Women in Business function, in collaboration with University College London’s Women in Management Society, had been ambitious in both its scope and vision. The young women invited had been specifically selected for their demonstrable passion for business and their commitment to excellence in both their academic and professional pursuits to date.
From its inception, Futureboard intended to be both visionary and personal in its approach. At the beginning of 2015 we reflected upon how we could further achieve this goal. The concept of a ‘Women in Business’ networking event was initially conceived after internal discussion revealed a shortage of female candidates in the pipelines of a number of different campaigns we were working on; this albeit not coming as a shocking realisation inspired the team to think about what could be done to promote diversity and the empowerment of talented female graduates. We determined that a networking event in which we connected successful business women with the future generation of leaders would be the most suited format. It became evident that the graduates we spoke to were united in their belief that positive reinforcement- as a consequence of interaction with the right role models and a range of external impetus- are great motivators. The Women in Business event was hence structured to facilitate the interchange of ideas, experience and advise between women at parallel ends of their careers.
What became imminently overwhelming as the speakers took their places was the incredible awe and weight of expectation of the fifty aspiring business students present; this was more than just a social gathering but a meeting of likeminded people striving towards a common goal.
The speakers lined up for the event – Lucy Adams former HR Director of the BBC, Professor Joanne Hackett renowned academic and entrepreneur, Katherine Travell founder and CEO of Futureboard Consulting, Barbara Moore senior HR professional at HSBC, Lori Houlihan Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations at UCL, Leona O’Hale Assistant Tax Director at Ernst Young- were asked to discuss highlights from their careers and conclude with advise they would have given to a younger version of themselves.
Katherine Travell opened with a reflection on her varied career in the corporate world spanning twenty years. She related how she realised soon after graduating from York University with a degree in Archaeology that she was not destined to remain in that field, a sentiment that was echoed by a number of the speakers. It was whilst speaking of an innate desire to do ‘something great’ that Katherine’s eyes really lit up; arguably the ‘something’ which Katherine spoke so passionately of was the something which united all the women present in the room- the drive to succeed. Martha Clark attested to this by stating ‘It was great to see so much passion for their careers and how motivated they all are to succeed.’ Katherine then spoke about the fulfilment she gained from founding Futureboard in 2007, referring to the business as ‘the culmination of a lifelong dream’.
Similarly Barbara Moore, who has worked at HSBC for nearing 30 years, spoke of starting her own Virtual Assistant business as one of her personal highlights. In particular she mentioned the word ‘autonomy’ and the ability to use all the wisdom she had gained in a uniquely autonomous fashion as much to do with her entrepreneurial venture. Barbara impelled all those in attendance to ‘never underestimate the power of a good LinkedIn profile and the doors it can open for you.’ In line with this advice she also encouraged curiosity and bravery as gateways to broadening horizons and meeting an array of interesting people.
Having founded several successful businesses in her career Joanne Hackett was emphatic in stating the importance of utilising your skills for the greater good. Joanne, who sold her first company at age twenty seven for the cool sum of twenty seven million, encouraged the girls to be proud of being female in particular whilst working within typically male dominated fields. What resonated from Joanne’s varied experiences was that the ominous ‘glass ceiling’ placed on female success in business can realistically be reached; as Joanne herself stated ‘it is possible to have it all!’
Commenting on the event Katherine Travell stated: “I was not only blown away and inspired by my co-speakers, but reassured by the enthusiasm, professionalism and ambition of the attendees. It was obvious that I was in the presence of women that were destined for fantastic careers! We look forward to running more events with UCL Women in Management Society and other societies across the UK and Europe.”
Syntyche Bio, Futureboard