Pink Shoe On Air: The Long Road to Equal Pay with Dr Mari Takayanagi

Parliamentary Archivist Dr Takayanagi gave an absorbing illustrated talk on the Long Road to Equal Pay, commemorating the passing of the Equal Pay Act which is 50 years old in 2020. The title chosen because the struggle for equal pay began long before 1970. 

Mari brought the topic of Equal Pay to life for us with a lively and engaging talk and unique images from the archives and from contemporary publications and records. Relating instances of women doing identical jobs to men but receiving far lower salaries. Difficult for us to envisage today perhaps but the reality not so long ago.

As Mari told us, one trigger was the 1968 strike at the Ford factory in Dagenham. 850 female sewing machinists went on strike because they were paid 15% less than men. She highlighted these amazing women and the film made about their struggle.

In May 1970, Labour Employment Minister Barbara Castle, who had backed the Ford sewing machinists, introduced the Equal Pay Bill which received Royal Assent on 29 May becoming the Equal Pay Act. During Q & A Mari explained that EU Membership also had an impact on equal pay. 

From subsequent general discussion it was felt that despite parity on pay for doing the same work, in some industries a gender pay gap remains to this day.

Theresa May’s Government introduced mandatory Gender Pay Reporting, when employers with 250 or more employees must publish and report specific figures about their gender pay gap; almost all complied. Unfortunately due to Covid-19 this was suspended for the current year (2020). We look forward to its early return.

BoardAble Tea &Talk: NED & Public Appointments

An invited group of BoardAble alumnae joined the current cohort for a seminar on Public Appointments and NED roles. 

We got expert tips and insights from Mohan Yogendran, Director of Rockpools on Board level CVs and working with headhunters and recruiters.

It was especially helpful to learn from Mohan how to manage our profile to best effect and getting the most out of LinkedIn. Excellent advice on how to stand out from the crowd and some very helpful leadership know-how from Vanda Green.

The next BoardAble programme is scheduled for autumn 2020 but its likely it may be postponed until spring 2021. Meanwhile we'll be hosting regular online interactive sessions where alumnae are able to mix with their peer group, public appointees, senior NEDs and other experts.

To find out more about the BoardAble programme and our online seminars please email Pink Shoe Leadership Director Vanda Green: Vanda@pinkshoeclub.com

Pink Shoe On Air 13th Birthday Celebrations!!

Our latest On Air was a fabulous celebration, each of us with our own personal party-in-a-box fullof goodies to help us celebrate in style! 

After a warm welcome and canter through 13 great years of achievement from founder Helene Martin Gee, we heard from Jill Pay and Vanda Green about recent highlights. Amita Krishna announced our new Speaker Hub, to be launched later this year ,and Helene shared more exciting projects coming up.

Then with a drum roll from Lynn Turner it was party time!! 

Party boxes  were opened as led by Lyndon we each made our fabulous 'Pink Shoe' cocktails of fizz and Chambord, 

or a tasty mocktail of Nonsescco and strawberry. 

Breaking into zoom rooms we chatted over Cornish Charcuterie pates and other lovely nibbles, then back to the main room for amazing live music from Lynn who played Glen Miller with gusto. 

Following the musical interlude it was time to judge 'most interesting attire' with winners announced as Jacqueline Winstanley,  who had woven red roses into her hair, and Lynn for her funky pink wig!    

Finally, candles were lighted on our yummy Birthday cakes as we all sang happy Birthday, then with a final toast we were played out by Lynn and all joined in for a chorus of 'We'll Meet Again'. 

Pink Shoe On Air: A Phenomenal Woman - Dr Maggie Semple OBE

Inspired by Maya Angelou’s poem, we launched a series of talks from Phenomenal Women with the inspiring friend of Pink Shoe, Dr Maggie Semple OBE.

Maggie talked to us about her early life and a happy childhood with parents who were supportive and expected her to succeed; singing in the choir with her sister was an early introduction to music which translated to her successful career as a professional dancer and dance teacher, and later onto the boards of the National Youth Music Theatre and Ballet Rambert.

Although she did experience some racism, Maggie was never deterred and as we heard she has a clear maxim for life. Creativity is at the heart of all she does, which is a huge amount! From her own consultancy and with Maggie Semple Limited, now 10 years old and highly successful with wonderful couture clothes for women; pivoting lately to create colourful face coverings; and producing the Semple Edit which now reaches 10 million readers. 

Maggie also sits on a number of boards and has a wide variety of NED roles, charity and public appointments.

With a wonderfully melodious and recognizable voice; softly spoken yet extremely powerful Maggie gets her point across without the need to shout. She gently challenged each of us in her inimitable way, to consider what we want from life and how we intend to get there, outlining the importance of having goals and taking practical steps to meet them. 

At the core of all her activities, ethics is the absolute foundation of Maggie’s life and career. She is quite rightly extremely focused on values and works only with those who share her high ethical standards. Maggie’s final message is the importance of smiling – something she demonstrates in abundance. A truly Phenomenal Woman.

To see the wonderful range of Semple clothes and the latest colourful face coverings visit: https://maggiesemple.com

Pink Shoe On Air: Stylish Brand Strategy with Holly Jade O'Leary

Pink Shoe was #OnAir this week with the amazingly creative Holly Jade O'Leary, co founder of Alinea London exploring ‘A New Train of Thought – a stylish perspective on Brand Strategy’

Holly shared some great case studies on brand strategy, outlining how vital it is to have the values of the business at the heart of the creative process; showing us Alinea’s beautiful ‘Floral Souls’ luxury campaign with jewellery designer Olivia Madigan-Shea. Holly then outlined how to generate a creative treatment by identifying the pillars of your brand and establishing a central concept.

With Alinea, Holly and her co-founder represent a range of international luxury brands and artists, alongside offering a unique consultancy combination of legal expertise and creative flair. From providing client insights on Brexit and its impact on business opportunities to sustainable couture fashion.

With a brilliant blend of art, fashion, business and style, Holly was so inspiring!
To find out more go to: https://www.alinea.org.uk/