Happy Spring everyone!

Happy Spring everyone! 

I’ve been in post now for almost 3 months and what an amazing experience it has been so far! Whilst my role as MD is just a one day a week position, I have had the absolute pleasure in this short time to meet so many fabulous Board members from across the regions and attend a number of inspirational events.

Starting a new job anywhere is always exciting but starting with WISH has been beyond exciting and I wanted to take this opportunity to share my top three priorities for WISH over the next six months ….these are a renewed focus on networking and the value it brings, a revised membership offer and a commitment to inclusion.

Those of us fortunate to be involved with WISH know the value of being a member of a women’s network. We have experienced feeling welcomed, supported and inspired and subsequently feeling happier, with renewed energy to return to our work places full of the positivity networking brings. I want to ensure that we clearly and consistently articulate this value and I am proposing to use the WISH acronym to measure our impact in terms of feeling welcome, inspired, supported and happier.

Alongside this value work we will be improving our membership offer. We have listened to feedback from our members and will soon be in a position to launch a revised membership structure which offers more networking opportunities, across more regions and an improved Jobs Board. Watch this space…

In terms of inclusion, our mission at WISH is to progress gender equality and this means equality for all women. Trans women are women and we need to articulate our trans inclusion commitment. In addition, we need to recognise that those who may not identify in binary female way will experience many of the issues about which we may be hosting events, for example on subjects like the menopause. As such we need to ensure our language is inclusive and welcoming.  Finally, progressing gender equality requires the support and involvement of our male allies. Their involvement in some of our activity and conversations is critical on the journey to gender equality. Together we are greater than the sum of the parts!

I’m so happy to be part of the WISH family and I am looking forward to the next stages on our journey together.