International Women's Day - shining a light on women in leadership

In 2024, while progress is being made, women remain underrepresented in leadership roles across various sectors. PCP is proud to have eight talented women in its senior leadership team.

For International Women's Day, we wanted to shine a light on Sandra, our Governance and Development Manager, and celebrate her journey in becoming a member of PCP's senior leadership team.

"Born and raised in Hampshire, I moved to Newton Aycliffe as a young teenager after the factory that my father worked at was closed and he was offered a relocation package to their factory here in the North East. Our extended family were all in and around the London area, so this was a big move away, however it was a guaranteed income whilst my mother looked for work when we arrived.

I vividly remember the Pioneering Care Centre in Newton Aycliffe being built whist I was finishing college. After leaving college, I worked in a number of administrative and customer support roles in County Durham. In the early 2000s, I moved to Wales, with my partner of 28 years, who has a long-term health condition. During this time my partner and I ran a pub.

It wasn’t until 2008, when I moved back to Aycliffe, that I first accessed the Centre to attend PCP’s counselling service. My father had been diagnosed with bowel cancer whilst I was living in Wales. Surgical complications resulted in a serious deterioration of his health, with significant life changes. The months surrounding my father’s surgery caused a lot of worry, anxiety and stress. PCP’s counselling service was amazing. It really helped me to process how I was feeling and gave me the tools to improve my resilience going forward. I still remember the first time I came into the building, I found both the people and the atmosphere warm, friendly, supportive and inviting.

PCPs mission: ‘Health, Wellbeing and Learning for All’, really resonated with me, which is why I decided to apply for an administrative support role towards the end of 2008. After three interviews for three different roles, I was successful in securing a position, and began my PCP work journey in early 2009 as an Administrator for County Durham LINKs (a precursor to Healthwatch). In this role, I was involved in a variety of tasks such as maintaining and updating the website, supporting board meetings and events, and compiling research data and reports. I also learnt how to work with and support volunteers, and ended up working closely with ‘Enter and View’ volunteers to coordinate visits and support them to produce their ‘Enter and View’ reports.

My first year at PCP was not without personal challenges. My father died late 2009, having never fully recovered from his cancer surgery, followed by my nan shortly thereafter. My brother was also diagnosed with a long-term mental health condition. However PCP was there to support me whilst I balanced home and work life.

At work I was offered the opportunity to develop my ICT and website skills, and I became a point of contact for my colleagues for any ICT related issues within the organisation. In 2013, after PCP did not win the first Healthwatch County Durham tender, I was asked if I would like to continue providing ICT support for PCP. In April 2013, I became PCP's full-time ICT Support Officer. I had to hit the ground running – fast! Whilst PCP did not secure Healthwatch County Durham, we did secure four other Healthwatch’s, and I was tasked with setting up offices and IT systems, as well as supporting the new teams to settle in and learn our systems.

I later completed my Access Level 3 qualification, which allowed me to build a number of databases to support PCP's projects and services, including one for the Stockton team, which I believe is still running until very recently!

In 2014, my role evolved into that of a Business Support Officer. While I continued to support ICT development and ensure systems ran smoothly, I took on new challenges such as line management, centre service management, and business development reporting. Being open to taking on new challenges and changing direction as needed has been vital to my progression at PCP. During this period, I completed my Level 5 Apprenticeship in Leadership and Management. I was one of several employees at the time who were encouraged to pursue qualifications as aspiring leaders, some of whom are still with us today. After years of stepping in whenever needed, I was promoted to Coordinator.

As Coordinator, I learned PCP's budgeting process, took on marketing and communications responsibilities, and got more involved in core activities such as monitoring, reporting, volunteer co-ordination and bid writing. I also led several centre activities, including events and time-limited projects. This was also the time I moved away from ICT, handing over that responsibility to Dan Fletcher. Sorry Dan!

In 2020, I was promoted to Project Lead, and asked to manage several mental health service projects, including Telephone Befriending, Happiness Hubs, and research. During this time, Vicky Browning and Jenny Lee joined the team and took over Marketing and Communications, which allowed me to focus on setting up these new projects and recruiting a fabulous team to support them. However, I continued to support several core activities including business development and reporting, alongside PCP HR’s team.

In 2022, I was thrilled to be asked to join the Senior Leadership Team. The team was undergoing a restructuring initiative to diversify its skills and knowledge base. This restructuring led to the creation of several core leadership roles, including our Finance Manager, Operations Manager, External Partnership Manager, and the recruitment of our Project Development Roles, alongside our new Deputy Chief Executive, Liz Fisher. During this period, I decided I was ready to undertake a new challenge and I completed my CMI Level 7 in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice, and became a Chartered Manager. The role meant I took on additional responsibilities, including supporting governance arrangements, policy and procedure development/management and quality management. I also contribute to the strategic development and management of PCP alongside our talented leadership team and board.

I feel passionate that health, wellbeing and learning for all applies to our staff, and I get a great sense of achievement supporting this through policy development, PCP’s Company Council and the Better Health at Work Award. I know from my own experience, how important it is to look after your health and wellbeing. Having a great line manager and team around you, which I do, helps as they provide support when you need it. However, it is equally important to have activities outside of work that can help you to unwind. I love to go for walks in the countryside and take notice of the wildlife around me. I especially enjoy bird watching and listening to the dawn chorus during the spring/summer.

Throughout my journey with PCP, I’ve continuously embraced new challenges, developed my skills, and learned from the incredible people I’ve worked with, all of which have shaped my path to where I am today.

As you can probably tell I enjoy working for PCP because I’m someone who thrives on learning new things and having a dynamic, varied workload. No two days are the same! The hardest challenge for me has been learning to say "no," which, in hindsight, has likely been a key factor in my progression. I’ve seized every opportunity that has come my way, giving it my all and learning along the way to build the skills and knowledge needed. While some of my career progression can be attributed to timing or being in the right place at the right time, I truly believe the experience I’ve gained has underpinned my growth.

I find my work rewarding, and take pleasure from seeing the impact our teams have on our communities we support. It’s also great to see individual members of staff achieve their own aspirations.

Personally, I enjoy the fact that I can still get involved when needed with direct delivery, and I have on occasion provided support on a volunteer basis for the garden, events, Welcome Spaces and (my favourite), Options.

What continues to excite me about working at PCP, even after 16 years, is that I still find as much passion in the work today as I did when I first joined. The nature of the work has evolved, but the core values and objectives that attracted me to PCP initially remain unchanged. What really sets PCP apart is the incredible team of employees and volunteers who are all dedicated to making a tangible difference in our local communities. This sense of purpose is what keeps me motivated and proud to be part of the team.

PCP has played a significant role in supporting my career progression through the incredible opportunity to work alongside some outstanding leaders, the majority of whom were/are women. Our Chief Executives, Jane Hartley and Carol Gaskarth, have each contributed uniquely to my personal development and the growth of the organisation. Jane’s pivotal role in PCP’s inception 27 years ago laid the foundation for what we have today, alongside our Patron, Carol Briggs and those involved in forming the plans and PCP’s governance structure. Meanwhile, Carol’s leadership over the past 12 years has propelled the organisation beyond what was initially imagined. Under Carol’s leadership, PCP’s income has increased by a whopping 295% (£1,490,767 to £5,883,373).

Watching their determination and the remarkable results of their hard work has been truly inspiring. The support I’ve received throughout my journey, especially from leaders like Carol, has been invaluable. Carol, in particular, has been a phenomenal mentor, but I can honestly say I have learned something from every person I’ve had the privilege of working with at PCP. The encouragement and guidance available along the way have been essential in helping me grow both professionally and personally, and I continue to learn my colleagues to this day – thank you everyone.

Some of the things that PCP do well that could be rolled out to support in other organisations include:

1. Create opportunities for women to connect with mentors who can guide them, advocate for their growth, and help them navigate career paths.

2. Ensure equal access to high-profile projects, leadership roles, and career-advancing opportunities. 83% of PCP’s workforce are women and 96% of the leadership positions are held by women.

3. Offer flexible work options that can support work-life balance. When organisations offer flexibility, they make it easier for women to stay and thrive in their careers. 20% of PCP’s workforce are working carers. We also have a range of polices that are supportive of work life balance including paid wellbeing time and our Menopause policy developed in partnership with our menopause group.

4. Build a workplace culture that promotes diversity, inclusivity, and equality. This means having inclusive hiring practices, and fostering a workplace where women feel valued and empowered to lead. 47% of PCP staff consider themselves to be disabled or have a long term physical or mental health condition.

5. Closing gender pay gaps are critical to creating a fair environment. At PCP women have always been paid the same as men for doing the same role, thanks to our pay structure.

6. Offer opportunities for future leaders to develop the skills, knowledge and experiences that will set them in good stead. Help them to them build confidence and prepare for higher positions should they seek them. These opportunities should be varied, as not all leaders come through a traditional academic route, providing opportunities whilst in the job is equally important. I have developed so many skills including project management, budget management, report writing, leadership and management, bid writing, press release writing, system development, governance etc.

7. Organisations should set measurable diversity and inclusion goals, track their progress, and hold leaders accountable. This can help ensure that the commitment to supporting women’s leadership is backed by concrete actions. At PCP, we monitor our statistics and benchmark them externally.

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When organisations actively implement these strategies, they can create environments where women are empowered to lead and advance in their careers.

One piece of advice I’d give is to embrace continuous learning and be prepared to adapt. As you rise through the ranks, things will change, and you will need to be open to new challenges, roles, and skills. Stay curious, seek out mentors, and always be willing to learn from both successes and setbacks. Be confident in your abilities, but also humble enough to seek growth in every step of your journey. This mindset will not only help you adapt, but it will also demonstrate your resilience and commitment, which are key to advancing in any career.  Some of your steps on your journey will be small others will be great big leaps and the journey never ends - progress not perfection.

Thanks for listening, Sandra 😊"