Reflecting on changing playing field
This month, I 've been thinking about progress, writes Henrietta Brealey.
Last week was my grandmother 's funeral. She was a phenomenal woman and reached the venerable age of 101.
The world she was born into in 1922 was a world away from the one outside of my window today. She served in the Women 's Auxiliary Airforce during World War II rising to the rank of sergeant, leading training of radio operators.
She was quite a character and we still have a cartoon of her, drawn by a fellow member of the armed forces, being a charmingly cheeky senior officer.
Throughout my life she was an impressive figure, sharp as a tack, with a quick mind for current and political affairs. Today, I think it 's very likely that she 'd have had a successful career of her own.
As we approach International Women 's Day on 8 March I find myself thinking about my granny, about her generation and those that came before and since that fundamentally changed the playing field for women like me.
Nestled in the Chamber archives we have a picture of the c.200 leading members of the Chamber of Commerce in 1924. They are all (no doubt, impressive) chaps, with the exception of a handful of women that I 'd love to research someday. They represent very different business community to the diversity of our Chamber Council and board today.
I am the second female CEO of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. Sue Battle was the first, taking the reigns of the then Birmingham Chamber of Commerce in 1999 following a 22-year career at the Chamber.
A brief look at the questions she had to endure about the leadership capability of “bossy women ”, still visible in online newspaper archives, shows another step change in society. I am fortunate that on my appointment nearly two years ago, while my age raised a small number of eyebrows, my gender was much less of a consideration.
But while progress has afforded me opportunities that would not have been available to generations before me, it doesn 't mean we 're finished yet. From the gender pay gap to FTSE CEOs we 're still quite a way off anything approaching gender parity.
One area that is now, finally, starting to get the coverage it deserves is the cost and structure of childcare in the UK. Childcare in the UK is among the most expensive in the world, fragmented and awkward to navigate.
Last year, for the first time in decades, the UK saw a sustained increase in the number of stay-at-home parents and carers at a time of record vacancies and recruitment difficulties. Watch out for this one - it 's likely, at last, to become a political hot topic as we head towards the next General Election.
As we see far too often today, progress is not linear. Without vigilance, old habits - and attitudes - can slip back in. The impact certain high profile misogynistic social media influencers could be many columns on its own.
That is why I 'm proud to be supporting two upcoming initiatives from the Chamber. On the March 8 we 're holding our own International Women 's Day celebration event jointly between our Asian Business Chamber of Commerce division and Greater Birmingham Chambers as a whole.
Our panellists each bring their own unique experiences. The personal - from job-sharing at CEO level to navigating personal tragedy. To professional - the steps they 're taking to create positive change within organisations, what 's worked and what 's been a lesson learned along the way.
March also marks the start of our Growth Through People Campaign. This campaign, now in its seventh year, explores the latest approaches to leadership and people management and how investing in them can help businesses boost productivity.
Over the course of the month we 'll be exploring the leadership skills needed to manage the transition to net-zero, the four day week (one I 'll freely admit I 'm still getting my head around!), creating LGBTQ+ inclusive workplaces and personal resilience through change and challenge. It 's all about practical workshops, advice and peer learning. The campaign will culminate in a half-day conference in May.
While huge progress has been made in many fields of equality over the years, there 's still a whole lot more to do. I 'm proud to have an opportunity to lead an organisation that can play a role in convening the business community, sharing ideas, best practice and that critical ingredient - the business case - for further progress.
Henrietta Brealey is chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce
This column first appeared in the Birmingham Post