Celebrating International Women's Day

This International Women’s Day, we are interviewing some of the women of Recorra.
We are taking a deep dive and getting to know more about their experience of being women in the waste industry.

Director and co-owner Alison Roe who’s been with the company for 27 years.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
It’s a wonderful day to celebrate Women and all the great things they do. Women are strong and brilliant, I love us all!

What is the moment you are most proud of?
I’ve had so many throughout my 27 years at Recorra. I think I am proudest when I walk around the yard at the end of the day, when it’s quiet and everyone has gone home. I stand back and can see all the infrastructure we have put in place, the trucks that we own and the bales of recyclables ready for onward transportation. It is a visible achievement, and I feel disbelief at what we have achieved as a Company.

What progress for women have you seen emerge over your time in the workplace?
From a young age, I’ve always believed that Men and Women are equally capable. At Recorra we promote on merit, not gender, so we’ve always had plenty of women in senior management. The changes I have seen during my working life are more women in Senior Management amongst our clients, partners and suppliers, which is encouraging.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced?
Balancing working in a demanding role whilst raising teenagers!

Which woman particularly inspires you?
Queen Elizabeth II. She was had such a strong sense of loyalty, duty and work ethic.

If you could have 3 women around for dinner, who would they be?
My Mum, my Granny and my Nan. If they came for dinner I wouldn’t let them leave!

What do you hope to see for women in the future?
I hope that jobs traditionally done by Women, such as in teaching, care and nursing are more valued in society and better paid. I would like women across the world to have the education and strength to be able attain financial independence.

Sioned Thomas, Head of Commercial Content and Business Development

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

IWD to me is a celebration of all the brilliant things we can do as women now that the shackles are off. So many women have come before us and have battled for equal rights, equal pay and equal opportunities. I see this day as a platform to celebrate and shout about all the amazing things we can achieve, all thanks to their sacrifices. I’m eternally grateful for those powerful, determined women who have come before me.

What is the moment you are most proud of?
My proudest moment so far is being named Top 3 in LetsRecycle’s 35 under 35 awards in 2022. I’m particularly proud of this accolade being a young woman in a traditionally male dominated industry, where it is estimated only 15% of staff in the industry are women

What progress for women have you seen emerge over your time in the workplace?
I have always worked in male dominated sectors starting in construction then moving into waste management. Over my time in work, I have seen more women come into the rapidly evolving sector. As the field of sustainability grows it’s interlinkages waste becomes more evident and we’re seeing new and exciting roles emerge. This encourages a huge diversity of people, not just women, wanting to seek careers in the sector. The sector is changing moving away from simply manual roles and adapting to the modern world embracing technology, social media and advancement.

What are the best things about being a woman in business?
One of the best things about being a woman in business in the modern day is that there is no ‘template’ or ‘path’ we’re expected to follow. As more and more women enter jobs that previously were out of reach for them, we are free to bring new perspectives, ideas, and ways of working which break the mould and provide freedom to flourish within new sectors.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced?
The biggest challenge I have faced is having the confidence to find my voice. When I started my career, I was afraid to speak up even if I had evidence backed opinions. I’ve grown in confidence over the years and now you can’t shut me up! This is all due to the backing of both male and female colleagues who have encouraged me and taught me you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

What do you do as a leader to support women?
Life can be very stressful, both personally and professionally. I ensure that my colleagues know that however busy life gets that I am ALWAYS there to lend an ear, go for a walk or make a cup of coffee to a colleague who may be struggling. I make myself available to support them any time regardless of workload as mental wellbeing takes precedent above all else. This year I’m hoping to train as a mental health first aider. 

Which woman particularly inspires you?
There are so many women who inspire me but one who stands out is Baroness Karren Brady. At 23 she became Managing Director of Birmingham City Football Club and four years later, she became the youngest Managing Director of a UK plc. She would often get mistaken for a ‘WAG’ and face shock and confusion from people when she would ask where the Directors suite was. Her tenacity has seen her be crowned Business Woman of the Year, become a best-selling author, a judge on The Apprentice and an inspirational global speaker.

If you could have 3 women around for dinner, who would they be?

• Aretha Franklin – I love music and always have.
• Jacinda Ardern – powerful and empathic
• Adele – she’s quite simply hilarious and imagine she’d be great company
  
  I think the three of us would have the most fantastic time drinking red wine and playing cards against humanity p.s. I would love to see Aretha’s reaction to some of the cards!

What do you hope to see for women in the future?
When I was growing up I still saw categorised certain jobs as ‘women’s jobs’ and ‘men’s jobs’ but with a GP as a mother and physicist as an auntie, I was inspired to follow any career path I wanted. I hope that girls and young women growing up in the near future don’t categorise any jobs by gender and are inspired to follow any career path they choose.

Bridget Haywood, Senior Sustainability Manager

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
IWD to me is an opportunity to share and celebrate all the new opportunities available to women, it is also a chance to recognise each other’s achievements as women, express our thoughts and feelings in a supportive and nurturing environment. Being able to relate to one another is also super important.

What is the moment you are most proud of?
It would be hard to pinpoint, I am proud of myself for believing in and pushing myself every day. One particular highlight over the last 12 months has been supporting clients win various awards for their Sustainability achievements including 5* Zero Waste Awards and being shortlisted for a National Recycling Award.

What progress for women (and nb people) have you seen emerge over your time in the workplace?
After studying psychology at University, I actually got a job as a fashion buyer for an independent store then moved into working for a start-up eco yoga clothing company before moving to Recorra nearly 5 years ago! So, although I started off in the female dominated industry in fashion and moved into a male dominated industry. I have definitely seen a change in senior structures of companies and women are now in higher positions which is very empowering.

What do you do at Recorra to support women?
Within the teams at Recorra there is a real sense of community and I am lucky to have very supportive colleagues. We have a strong internal between the women and work in a collaborative way. I always make sure my colleagues know I am here for them whether that is going for a walk in the local park or having time out or making them a cup of tea.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced?
I have always been incredibly passionate about Sustainability but when I first wanted to move into the industry 6 years ago I found there was very limited jobs in the industry so I would say for me one of the hardest challenges was to break into the industry. Now Sustainability is high on the agenda for every business so I am pleased to say there are a lot more opportunities for people are new to the industry.

Who is a woman that particularly inspires you?
There are so many inspirational women that have improved the world for women but I am personally passionate about politics and always had an interest in the political system, so Emmeline Pankhurst really inspired me when I was growing up. Being able to vote for the first time when I turned 18 was a really exciting moment and I am still very grateful every time I go to vote that I am able to do this, especially as some women are still unable to exercise their right to vote.

If you could have 3 women around for dinner, who would they be and why?

• My grandma – she lived with my parents throughout my life and was such a fun, generous, warm and wonderful woman
• Michele Obama – for her wise words and passion for supporting women
• Vivenne Westwood – for the stories she could tell and the inspiration for breaking the social norm

What do you hope to see for women in the near future?
I would love to see the support and collaboration between women continue. There are a lot more opportunities available to all women now, but as we all know there is a still a long way to go, I would love to see women being placed in important roles as they are the best person for the job. I hope that all women have the courage to pursue any chosen career path and have the confidence to reach their ambitions.