Law Firm Hosts Women In Business Event In Birmingham Ahead Of National Inclusion Week

Law firm Irwin Mitchell is gearing up for National Inclusion Week (25 September – 1 October) by holding a panel event in Birmingham to discuss whether women face additional challenges in the work place.

Irwin Mitchell’s internal gender networking and support group, IM Powered, have organised the event in partnership with the Institute of Directors and Birmingham Hippodrome, where the event takes place on Thursday 21 September 2017.

The inclusive event will feature a panel discussion and Q&A with a number of high profile female guests including Vicky Brackett, CEO of Irwin Mitchell’s Business Legal Services division.

The mother-of-two became the first female member of the law firm’s Executive Board in 2016 after starting her career as a trainee at magic circle firm, Freshfields, in 1994. Vicky eventually left the City and went on to become Managing Partner at Thomas Eggar before the firm merged with Irwin Mitchell in 2015.  

Vicky said: “Since starting my career I think slowly things have become easier for women. Of course there is more to be done but for example, taking maternity leave is far less of an issue now than it was in the 90s and thanks to technology, flexible and home-working make it far easier to achieve a better work/life balance.”

“It is interesting to see that many men who want to share parenting responsibilities now the law allows it in terms of shared leave and paternity are now going through similar struggles. My children are 11 and 14 years old and I think, and hope, that their generation won’t consider gender to be as much as an issue but it’s important that we make sure our generation of leaders embrace changes too. Whether you are male, female, transgender or don’t align yourself with either gender it is vital that businesses look beyond the face, the colour and the sex and see the skills, talent, warmth, energy and empathy.”

One of Vicky’s other commitments is as a trustee of a PSDS, a charity she founded following the birth of her son Sam who has Down syndrome, which provides support to children with Down syndrome and their families.  

Vicky says as a mother she has always worried about the impact of her work and charity commitments on her children.  

She said: "I asked my daughter once if she minded that I haven’t always been able to do the school run or the ‘traditional’ things that are expected of mothers. She said ‘You’re there for everything that matters. Some of my friends’ mums leave the school gates and go for a coffee, my mum goes and runs a law firm, so of course I don’t mind,’ and I really loved that response.

“I respect everybody’s right to make their own personal choices about career and family but I think women should be encouraged to feel less guilty about having their careers and children. Equally I think being a mother has given me a lot of skills that I use every day at work when dealing with people or difficult situations. As long as you have the right people for the job having a diverse workforce will mean you will have richer insights and perspectives to help your business make better decisions.”

Asked with hindsight, what advice she would give to herself at the start of her career, Vicky said:

“Be yourself, aim higher than you think you are capable of and don’t underestimate your own abilities. I’d tell myself to slow down and take time because if you work hard, the opportunities will present themselves. I’d also recommend getting a really good mentor so you have someone to talk to.”

Discussing what more needs to be done to help encourage more women into leadership positions she said: “I don’t necessarily think that men are holding women back. I think sometimes we can be our own worst enemies when it comes to confidence in our abilities. I think we could do more to build the confidence of women in business, provide good role models and mentors to help those who have chosen to pursue careers go as far as they want to and are able to go.”

Vicky will be joined by fellow panel members, Dr Jenni Jones – Senior Lecturer, HR & Leadership at University of Wolverhampton, Fiona Allan – Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Birmingham Hippodrome, Jane Sommerville – Managing Director at Bowers & Jones, and Tracy Westall – Former Director of Corporate Service for SCC and Non Exec Director at Innovation Birmingham, Governor at BCU, and a Board member at TechUK.

Suzie Branch-Haddow, Director of the Greater Birmingham Professional Services Academy and MetEnterprise Academy will be chairing the event which will focus on issues faced by women in their respective professions, the positive changes over the years and areas for improvement.

The sold out event takes place at Birmingham Hippodrome, Hurst Street, from 12:30pm-2:30pm this Thursday.