International Women's Day - SUPPHER

SuppHER is a not-for-profit and inclusive supper club that works to raise funds for charities supporting vulnerable women in the community, while celebrating the talents of women in hospitality.

www.suppher.co.uk

Can you tell us about your journey to your role? Did your education set you in this direction, or did you have a less conventional path to where you are now?

I've done things a bit upside down. I dropped out of uni at 20 and started working in hospitality. Like many people, I really enjoyed the social aspect of working in bars and restaurants but when I found myself working in a fine-dining restaurant I started to see a potential career. That's where my love of wine blossomed and, actually, I suppose education did help me from there because I sat my Wine and Spirits Education Trust exams and definitely started to be taken more seriously as a result. Maybe it was the wine qualifications, it could equally have been experience and hard-work. I do think that in the wine industry, you have to kind of carve out a name for yourself and just put yourself out there. Be part of the community and take risks, these are the things that have provided me with opportunities.

And now, I've changed careers and gone back into education. I work in social housing and I'm studying Psychology. These things were both made possible through my volunteer work with Trafford Rape Crisis, which was also the reason that suppher was created.

If you could redesign your learning and career journey to this point, would you? And if so, what changes would you make?

Well, I am currently in the middle of writing two assignments whilst working full-time, so my answer today is yes! If I had a time machine and I could tell 17 year old me not to study English but choose Psychology instead then my life would be a bit easier right now. But in reality, I wouldn't have had a brilliant career in wine if I'd finished uni the first time. Maybe I would've worked in social housing and then pivoted into wine at 30!

What advice would you give to women looking to move toward a role in your field, particularly those whose education and career thus far has been in a very different field?

The experience which equipped me with the most knowledge and confidence to be who I want to be in my career, and life in general, was volunteering. The impact that volunteering had on my life was crazy; I found a community who I could trust, I gained training, I was able to make sense of my own experiences and support others. Volunteering is so valuable and I now see it from another perspective; suppher relies on volunteers to function and the community of women that we have built is so powerful.

In your experience, is there anything that you think businesses could do to be more supportive of women in the workplace? Or is there anything that you think is really positive in your workplace?

Always. I think that raising awareness of issues facing women is really important in all settings; at the Social Housing Group where I work, they have regular informative sessions that anyone can attend, like, 'women and mental health' or 'the menopause'. These also help people who are suffering to feel heard and part of a community.

More discourse around sexual harassment in the workplace is needed; I have been let down in the past in both hospitality and an office setting. It should be clear what the procedures are for when someone is harassed and men should be held to account rather than the onus put on women to adapt their behaviour.

Can you tell us about any strong female role models that have inspired you in your career? These might be friends, family members, or women who have blazed the trail before you.

There are so many! In hospitality I have worked alongside so many empowering women; Mary-Ellen McTague and Kate Mountain were such a power duo at Aumbry, they both have huge hearts. I worked closely with my friend Rachel during a really stressful period and she was just so grounding, I owe her big time for keeping me sane. The women at TRC are so inspiring and took me into their tribe, I really felt like I was part of something and those women gave me the courage to support others. Finally (and obviously!) Anna, without her I would never, ever, have had the courage to start suppher. She has helped me find so much confidence in myself. She is a ball of energy, absolutely nothing phases her.

What do you do outside of work?

Study and wine tastings! No, I run a lot. I am currently training for a marathon and recently trekked two marathons through the sahara desert. I'm inspired by ultra runners. As a sport, ultrarunning is a lot more equally weighted between men and women. It's nice to see a sport that is not dominated by men!