Women in the Livery (WIL) – what next?
After two years, and with support from Masters, Wardens, and Committee Chairmen, notably our past female Masters, Erica Stary and Fiona Woolf, WIL has come a long way in a short time.
WIL’s efforts have resulted in women:-
- Working on Company Committees – one has become a Steward and Webmaster
- Delivering more speeches and lectures to the Company
- Being at the forefront of recruitment and retention initiatives
- Promoting modernisation of Company communications, e.g., the ‘Join Us’ video
- Organising a survey and running some excellent webinars
- Raising awareness of the wider diversity agenda
Not too bad for a team of six volunteers meeting via video conferencing during a pandemic!
Where next for WIL ?
Whilst pleased with progress on other fronts, our brief from the Membership Committee was also to recruit more talented women to the Company.
The focus for WIL will now shift to:-
- find more able women who would benefit from all that the Company has to offer
- encourage male and female Livery members, to recruit, with an emphasis on appealing to women
- promote recruitment through undertaking talks and presentations
Personal introductions are the most important method of recruitment, and WIL proposes a more pro-active approach to find suitable candidates. We seek to attend luncheons and events, and provide fun and lively presentations about the benefits of Livery membership. As a small team, WIL must focus our efforts. We will respond to invitations from all sectors, but particularly seek to penetrate water and public health, and the legal profession, this year.
Why should you help recruit women?
Membership of the Company is stable but static, yet we have made minor impact on recruiting from 50% of the population, and just 10% of Company membership is female. We should aspire to better reflect our society, and enhance the internal culture and external perception of the Company. Evidence from Industry suggests the quality and speed of decision-making improves in a diverse organisation. Turning the question around why wouldn’t we want women to benefit from the history, fun, and networking experience that the Livery brings? Lastly, growing the Company benefits us all as it is easier to keep our costs down for events and quarterage.
How can you help?
- Introduce a woman to the Company from your family friends and business acquaintances
- Invite us to make a short presentation about the Company at an event
- Undertake to give a presentation yourself, with help from WIL if required
Who should I contact?
If you would like more information, or to discuss a recruitment idea, please contact me, Sandra Raine, in the first instance. WIL will consider all ideas.
Sandra Raine
sandraWCoP@gmail.com
07713 740750
Senior Court Assistant on behalf of the WIL team
(Kate Fuller, Elise Maynard, Sandra Raine, Janet Rivers, Sarah Oliver, Julie Spinks)