This week Britain took a huge leap towards greater gender equality on management boards. It was announced that Emma Walmsley is to become the most powerful woman in the FTSE 100 as CEO of GSK next year, making her Britain’s most powerful business woman.
In an interview featured in BBC Radio 4’s profile of Walmsley, she appeared quick to play down the gravity of this moment: “I’ve never primarily defined myself by my gender… I think of myself as a business person”. I balked at this. For some women defined by their gender, whether they like it or not, this privilege is not often afforded.
But despite my initial reservations at Walmsley’s comments, I was won over by Financial Times Associate Editor, Lucy Kellaway’s summing up of events:
It’s right that she should see it that way, gender has nothing to do with how she does her job. But for the rest of us of course it matters, if you have such a lopsided workforce that despite so many efforts by so many people, is changing so slowly, then when you see a woman landing a top job it would be very weird not to be extremely pleased”.
Very weird indeed!
I’m in the early years of my career in the City (a.k.a. “a man’s world”), and hearing this announcement mattered to me. It sent the message loud and clear that we have forewomen paving the way: we have another role model.
We are keenly aware in the Liberal Democrats that this it is not just a problem for business; it is a party political one too. Voting in 2016’s Spring Conference motion to introduce all women shortlists, I was delighted by the hard work put in by senior party figures in making this happen, and dismayed by those resisting the change.
We have our ups and downs – not least the lack of diversity in Westminster – but we do have some formidable women at the top, President Sal Brinton and MEP Catherine Bearder to name just two. Working for Bearder last year was the first and only time I have had a female boss, and a warm-hearted and fierce one at that!
Just look at Jo Swinson. As some members aired their concerns about my appointment as Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, citing my age of 23 as a perceived weakness, a member was quick to point out that Swinson first stood as a candidate at the age of 21, winning her seat at the age of 25. She has consistently campaigned for gender equality, and I am very excited for the publication of her book ‘Equal Power’ next year.
Increasing our representation has always been a motivation for me. In May this year I successfully defeated the Conservatives in a gain for the Liberal Democrats on Maidstone Borough Council. I was bursting with pride to be joined in the victory photos by my colleagues, a cohort of young women – four young women won council seats that day!
Speaking to an onlooker just before my vote was announced, the local resident told me beaming, that if her daughter could see a young woman of 23 defeat a retired man, she would surely be interested in politics for the first time!
It is moments like this that will have a lasting impact on my world-view and the issues I campaign on. Speaking now as the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for my home town, I hope to inspire others, just like that lady and her daughter, like my role models inspire me.
* Emily joined the Liberal Democrats in January 2015, inspired by the fierce campaign by the Liberal Democrats in Maidstone to defeat the incumbent Tory MP. She worked in Jasper Gerard's campaign team for the General Election, and then became Catherine Bearder MEP's Parliamentary Assistant, working for the ALDE Party on the early stages of the EU Referendum Campaign. In May 2016 she was elected to be a Councillor on Maidstone Borough Council, gaining the seat from the Conservatives by one vote! In September 2016 it was announced that Emily has been selected to be the Parliamentary Spokesperson (PPC) for Maidstone and The Weald in Kent.
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11 Comments
Very much agree with Emily that the obsession with age is a distraction and more harshly applied to women. The most inspirational candidate I have worked for this year is only 18, on her campaign team was my mum who was first elected aged 66!
Emily – since there is no evidence that women can’t get selected on their own in good seats why do we need AWS ?
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Sorry both – I have just this second got home from a (very long) council committee meeting!
Ruth – thank you! I completely agree, we just have to look at Trump’s attacks on Hillary to see that age/looks/’stamina’ are criticisms more frequently used on women than men (silly really, Trump is older!)
Simon – thank you for your question. I think I’d like to turn that around and ask where the women ARE getting selected in key seats in equal proportion to men? I’ve not seen it… Even before our losses in 2015, we hadn’t embodied our values, with a smaller proportion of women and BAME MPs than other parties. Yes, as a smaller party it’s more of a struggle, but we’re not yet there with either the numbers, or the prominent positions in the party. I was initially (a year+ ago) hesitant about AWS, always believing in ‘the best person for the job’. But there comes a time when structural reform is absolutely necessary to change the defunct status quo.
Hi both, please accept my apologies for the slow reply, I wrote a reply late last night but for some reason it didn’t get through..
Thank you both for commenting!
Ruth – thank you, hear hear! You just need to take a look at what’s going on over the pond with Trump vs Hillary to see the criticisms of age/looks/stamina thrown at Hillary by the Trump camp, really sorry state of affairs
Simon – thank you for your question. I’d like to turn that around and ask you what evidence there is that women ARE being selected in target seats? Unless I’m missing something I’m not seeing it. The exception to this has been Kelly Marie in Lewes and that was an AWS. I understand the hesitance, I too was sceptical about them a year or two ago, believing we should choose candidates ‘on merit’. But you know what, when there’s no level playing field for women/BAME candidates, it requires structural reform to rebalance decades of bias in the system. We shouldn’t be afraid to say we have a bad record, look at our numbers of women and BAME MPs at our heights of 50+. We didn’t do enough and we’re slowly making changes to improve. We’re good at many things, and it’s not all bad, but let’s aim to be the best!
Emily, congrats on being selected for your home town.
I would point out to whoever raised your age that being selected young may not mean that you are being elected young, it may take a couple of election cycles to win and being selected young may be an advantage in this case to allow you to have staying power to keep fighting.
I would also mention though that with all the fuss about AWS I have seen nothing to suggest that anything to address other barriers are being addressed. The sorts of things that have resulted in so few female candidates standing over multiple election cycles. You may come to thing the (in my opinion counterproductive) window dressing of AWS has avoided more important issues being considered.
When you say you balked at Emma Walmsley not wanting to define herself by her gender, this seems odd. I’m sure no one she has ever worked with didn’t notice that she was a woman, but by focusing on what she has in common with her colleagues not what is different she is more likely to be able to work effectively and succeed (which so far she has).
Oops – it looks like my comment did get through this morning!
Hi Psi – thank you. I do certainly believe AWS are just one positive policy, there are others that can and should be considered and enacted. Particularly with regards to widening access to BAME candidates. Education and recruitment I believe are a big part of this.
On the ‘balking’ – Yes, I do think I agree with you, that’s why I wrote that my thoughts are best in-line with Lucy Kellaway’s. I initially balked at it, because it meant something to me that she had been appointed, because as a young woman it is important to have women ‘in high places’ to look up to. However, Kellaway’s comments are perfect, because though it does not affect Walmsley, and it shouldn’t (as you rightly say), it matters to the rest of us.
Emma Walmsley’s problem is different. There is an increasing feeling that she is not up to the job and that GSK may be split up into four companies as a consequence.
How do you know she’s not up to the job when she has only just been appointed to it ? Bonkers !
Emily Fermor
The LDV filters don’t seem to like you for some reason, they ought to fix that…
I don’t think we will agree on the AWS point. I would say that the issue that is constantly over looked on here is the fact that there is no evidence of the party looking or actual barriers and addressing them. Hopefully you won’t encounter them and if you do you will be able to raise them and have them addressed, but I would think that this is something party management should keep constantly in mind so PPCs can have a long term focus on the difficult job of winning a seat, no amount of education and recruitment will fix that.
Good luck with Maidstone.
@ for the same reasons I believe that every England manager isn’t up to the job. Simple lack of talent. Running a division is not the same as running the whole company. Just as running a Premiership team is not the same as being a national manager.