As Parliament Week partners with this year's theme of #DoDemocracy and as part of the Pink Shoe BoardAble programme we held an event to encourage, inform and support women into public life.
Rosalyn Eales of the Cabinet Office gave delegates a real insight into the wide variety of public roles available and stressed that age is no barrier - both young and more mature candidates are welcome. Also that we should consider what transferable skills we have that could be applied in a public appointment.
Delegates then shared some of their own expectations before we heard from Sarah Anderson CBE, a successful entrepreneur who has worked with a variety of public bodies including Job Centre Plus and the Equalities & Human Rights Commission as well as chairing the Anderson Report into business regulation.
Sarah was able to offer the inside track of how an Appointments Panel works and what is actually involved in the process. Sarah's strong sense of satisfaction from making a tangible difference inspired us all.