Women in Parking To know there are other women out there, working in a similar field, is reassuring and helpful; it helps to build networks and to talk through female-specific concerns With women included, this can be explained at design stage and included as standard. PR: At times, I have felt as if Ive had to do more to achieve the same as my male colleagues. Ive also noticed that, under male management, it has sometimes appeared that my male colleagues have had more invested in them in terms of management time and career development. As my career has progressed, Ive tried to use this in a positive way, because by feeling the need to work harder to prove myself Id like to think my skills have improved faster than they would have otherwise. How important is it that we encourage and enable a more diverse workforce into the sector? industry! Its been interesting, too the speakers have been inspirational and shown that its not just men at the top of professions. HT: I am very often the only woman in many meetings, especially as my level of seniority has increased. To know there are other women out there, working in a similar field, is reassuring and helpful; it helps to build networks and to talk through female-specific concerns. Although still in its infancy, I hope the group will mature and show young women coming into the world of work that girls CAN manage parking and lots more besides! PR: Ive found being a member insightful, because Ive heard stories from female colleagues that resonate with some of the experiences I have had in the workplace. It has certainly reduced the occasional feelings of isolation in a male-dominated sector. LR: My fianc is Chinese so, through him, I have seen some of the issues that people from different Fun fact backgrounds can come up against. Also, having a mix LR: I used to be a personal trainer, which I loved of cultures, genders and identities makes life more and I still do classes for charity events. I recently interesting, personally and in business. helped my fianc to lose three and half stone: it has HT: We are essentially a service industry and, to changed his life and helped his confidence no end. serve the public to the best of our ability, we need to HT: I have four children aged between 27 and seven a reflect that public. This will allow us to understand needs, 20-year gap between my eldest and my youngest child! concerns and viewpoints holistically, and ensure that we PR: I met my husband, Gary, through parking. He was my Pam Robinson deliver the best for as many people as possible. boss at DCBL and we didnt get on initially! However, he grew on PR: There is a great need to encourage diverse thinking, particularly in me and we got married in 2021. decision-making positions. I believe this extends beyond simply employing women in senior roles. There ought to be a push for more representation of The Women in Parking group offers inspiration, support and minority groups and different thinkers further up the business hierarchy. friendship to all in the parking sector. It meets virtually and face This would not only benefit society as a whole, but also be a commercial to face throughout the year, offering networking, knowledge benefit to the businesses that adopt this. sharing and discussions around key issues identified by members of the group. The next meeting is a virtual meeting How important is it to you to be a member of the on 8 September, then there will be a face-to-face catch-up BPAs Women in Parking group? on 30 November, with a keynote speaker. Find out more at LR: That we have this group is amazing: we could do with it in every britishparking.co.uk/women-in-parking 38 PN Sept 2022 pp36-39 WiP.indd 38 22/08/2022 09:49