SETS THE STANDARD FOR EQUALITY BPE SOLICITORS

Regional law firm BPE Solicitors has set the standard for equality. Two-thirds of the senior leadership team are women and one- third are equity partners.

Both managing partner and deputy managing partner are women and they’ve been working together since 2011.

Antonia Shield was appointed Managing Partner in 2019, having joined BPE in 2001. She understands the challenges that women face and has been adapting and developing the company’s support systems, not only for women but also for the men.

“Professional services firms have long been very demanding places to work,” she says. “There is high pressure and high stress. Delivering exceptional service is a given and it’s inevitable that this means compromising your personal life at times to achieve that. Older women have always done that and I have been lucky that I have a husband who fully shares the child support. The odd time we can’t juggle we pull in outside help.

“With this support network I can dedicate all my time to a client when required.”

The firm has also made a commitment to mentoring and has rolled out a firmwide programme of networking this year. Anthonia has also been shortlisted for ‘Mentor of the Year’ at the Women, Influence & Power in Law awards which take place this month.

The pandemic was a wake-up call to the legal profession, she says.

“London law firm Slaughter & May made the headlines when it introduced a policy of no work calls after 8pm. That is radical for our profession and an acknowledgement that what was going on pre-Covid was too much.

“The reality is that people can work from home and fit their working days around the school run. It’s less about presenteeism and more about delivery.”

And that’s good for everyone.

Deputy Managing Partner Jo Bewley, who joined BPE in 2011 to cover for Antonia when she went on maternity leave, agrees: “It’s much more about flexibility and trust since Covid. Client expectations haven’t changed – they still call outside work hours, and we accept that. We o er a professional service and our sta understand that, but within the firm we aim to make everyone’s lives as flexible as possible.

“Clients don’t necessarily expect you to be in the o ce, they just expect to be able to get hold of you.”

Women friendly policies are good for business as a whole

Much has been made in the last few years of the introduction of women-friendly policies, but that’s good for everyone, argues Antonia.

“We have a menopause policy. We also have a fertility and miscarriage policy. These didn’t exist when I started out as a lawyer. Some people sail through such life events, some don’t. These issues were under the radar about 20 years ago, and its progress that our sta can come into the o ce and know that they are going to be supported.

“As a women leader I want to make sure there are people in this business who, when any member of sta – male or female – has a life crisis, can swoop in, do what needs to be done, and give the person time and space to deal with their personal situation.”

Jo agreed. “I joined BPE from big firms where there was little flexibility. If you needed an hour o during the working day you had to get it signed o . BPE already had work/life balance policies when I arrived, and it took me a while to get used to them. Up until then I accepted I was there to do a job and not to let home life impact on the day job. I didn’t have to learn to juggle, because I didn’t have children.

“But I’ve learned that you get more out of people by giving that flexibility. The feedback and loyalty you get from that is amazing.”

With the legal industry facing a skills shortage, BPE’s forward-thinking policies are likely to appeal to the next generation of young lawyers keen to build their careers.

And also, perhaps, the fact that the firm operates outside London.

“What regional firms like BPE o er is work/life balance,” said Antonia. “A woman with children working as a lawyer in the City is likely to need full-time support. That’s not necessarily wrong, but it’s a whole di erent female role model.”

Two women at the top of a business sets a good example to new recruits. As the next generation see women rise to leadership roles, there are going to be more role models and less reason for anyone to think that machismo and testosterone will power you to the top job. What matters more is self-awareness and the willingness to learn from mistakes.

If that’s the case, should a Board should have equal numbers of women?

Only if they’re the best person for the job, says Jo. “And women are getting there. Hopefully all the flexibility being brought in by all business sectors is coming into play. Women are more likely to succeed with policies and support in place to help them.”

Looking back helps put the future in perspective

Antonia cites her mother as setting a great example. “My mother was strong, she had immeasurable impact and the confidence she instilled in me and my sisters taught us that we could do whatever we wanted.”

Jo’s parents encouraged her to pursue her ambitions. “Whatever I was doing I had a burning desire to take the next step up. I always wanted a seat at the table. But my goodness it’s been a journey. You get things wrong in leadership as much as you get things right. But the self-awareness gained as you progress, massively helps.”

Helen Isherwood, Managing Director, Adey, Gloucester

Appointed as Managing Director in 2023, Helen first joined the business as product director in 2017. Becoming Innovation Director in 2020, she created an innovation roadmap which has been instrumental in the company’s growth.

Now part of Genuit Group, Adey employs 300 people and has a turnover of more than £80 million.

Helen believes in the talent of those she works with, empowering them with the right support and structure. She prioritises getting to know her teams and feels a responsibility to ensure they are successful and happy.

Helen is replacing Matthew Webber, who is moving onward within the Genuit Group. Matthew said: “Helen is exceptional – strong and determined and wants to get on with the job.”

Helen has more than 25 years’ experience heading up international marketing and product development teams. She is particularly proud of building teams that deliver successful innovative solutions.

Emma Foster, Managing Director, Kohler Mira, Cheltenham

Emma Foster was appointed as the new UK Managing Director at Kohler Mira Showers, the UK’s leading shower manufacturer.

Emma’s appointment follows 19 years with Kohler Mira having started as a graduate in 2004. She was previously Head of Marketing at the company.

Dr Zara Nanu, MBE, Founder and CEO, Gapsquare, Bristol

In an interview last year, Dr Nanu said: ““Nearly three-quarters of UK businesses are committed and taking action on pay equality.

Dr Nanu founded Gapsquare in 2017 after hearing the World Economic Forum's prediction that it would take 217 years before the gender pay gap could be closed. The company is now driving change for hundreds of thousands of employees around the globe, hoping to achieve fair pay a lot earlier than that.

The company develops AI-based software that crunches employment data to tackle issues such as gender pay inequality. Dr Nanu received an MBE in the late Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee Birthday Honours list, for “services to tackling global workplace inequalities and promoting fairness and inclusion”.

“As the dial is turning on the pay gap, we can accelerate this change further. Technology and innovation allow organisations to tap into their data to build a more equal and inclusive place of work. Now businesses are seeing the bigger picture: not just wages, but also elements beyond pay that can influence equality at work, all of which can contribute to a truly impactful plan of action. As finances tighten, the di erence in pay between men and women will be keenly felt. Now is the time to accelerate and build on the change we’ve made so far, truly cementing the end of the pay gap as a top business priority.”

She started her career combating human tra cking and campaigning on women’s rights issues. Inspired by years spent working for women’s charities in Moldova, the US and the UK, she identified an opportunity to use technology to break down gender bias in the workforce.

The company has been so successful that in 2021 it was acquired by XpertHR, which helps organisations achieve greater e ciency, reduce risk and increase employee engagement.

Based at Staverton in Gloucestershire, Clarkson Evans is the largest electrical contractor serving the UK’s new-build housing sector. It employs around 850 sta across the country and in a typical year it wires more than 24,000 new homes achieving an annual turnover of around £65 million.

Having achieved a degree in Commerce, she joined Clarkson Evans in 2001 and early on felt she was appreciated for what she was doing.

“The company employed many people who knew a lot about construction and electrical installation but there were very few people there who could write a decent letter and use communications.”

Dr Sarah Beardsley, RAL Space Director, Oxford

Last year, RAL Space based at Harwell in Oxfordshire, appointed a new director to advance its ambitious programme of space science and technology development.

Sarah Beardsley has extensive experience of the science and engineering challenges faced by RAL Space. As the Head of the Space Engineering and Technology Division she oversaw the engineers, technicians and project managers underpinning many of the hardware projects across the department.

She progressed up through management, becoming chief operating o cer. In January last year the company underwent a management buy-out and Lindsay took on the reigns of Chief Operating O cer.

Her leadership philosophy is to be authentic. Speaking to Business & Innovation Magazine last year she said: “Being a leader to me is also partly about being a good actor. You have got to play the part – from the moment you are choosing what to wear in the morning, you are thinking about the image you are trying to project.

“I always think you should dress for the role above the one you have.”

Prior to this she worked as an instrument scientist on RAL Space's first mission to the moon and as a project manager on various high-profile missions. Sarah has been active in defining the UK and European strategies for solar system science, sitting on several national and international advisory panels for the community.

Over the coming years RAL Space is leading the consortium for the European Space Agency's Ariel exoplanet mission and the commissioning of the National Satellite Test Facility, which will help get spacecraft ready for launch and enable businesses to build bigger, more technologically advanced satellites. The department is also pioneering new technologies on board smaller, faster and cheaper missions.

Sarah is passionate about early careers development and is a proactive supporter of graduate and apprentice development, sitting on the Science and Technology Facilities Council governance boards for both.

Christine Allison, Chair of the South West Investment Group (SWIG)

Christine was appointed Chair of the South West Investment Group (SWIG) in January. She has been a Director of SWIG Ltd and Chair of SWIG Finance for the past two years, and a non-executive director since 2017. Prior to her current role, Christine spent more than 20 years with the World Bank in Washington DC, was a fellow of the London-based Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation, and a Special Advisor to the Treasury Select Committee. She is currently a Director of the South West Business Council.

SWIG aims to make finance accessible by providing small business loans to viable SMEs and start-ups in the South West region, which have the potential to grow and benefit the economy.

Its funds are designed for those who are unable to secure all their requirements from traditional sources – whether due to a lack of track record, security requirements which can’t be met, historic financial issues or simply not meeting conventional credit scoring methods.

Karen Taylor, Managing Director, Gloucestershire Airport

Gloucestershire Airport is going through the most transformative period in its history.

The busy airfield, which opened in the 1930s, is now also a UK centre for aviation training, with a number of schools based on the site as well as hosting the company that services 90 per cent of the UK’s 999 helicopters.

It’s also undergoing major investment. The runway is being extended, a new business park is being built and investments in other major upgrades being made.

The woman responsible for this change is Karen Taylor.

Trained in business and accountancy, Karen spent her early career working in London for some of the UK’s largest financial institutions, but returned to work in Gloucestershire after her son had a medical scare and she wanted to be closer to home if it ever happened again (it didn’t). She took a job at Gloucester City Homes – and went from a fast-moving financial job in London to a struggling council house department which had just been