Celebrating International Women’s Day on Sunday (8 March), three members of the team at South Coast accountancy firm, Inspire, talk about their inspirations in business, people who have encouraged them and experiences that have helped to shape their careers.
Helen Holman, Associate Director at Inspire, believes that confidence has a key role to play in career development, regardless of gender.
“We all need someone in the workplace to put their faith in us, provide support and ultimately gives us confidence that we can do a good job,” explains Helen.
“Throughout my career I’ve found it really important to have a champion, someone who can encourage and mentor you. As a woman working hard and proving myself in practice, I was fortunate to have a very supportive senior partner who really motivated me, but also stretched me to make sure that I was developing myself, encouraging me to step up and learn as much as I could. This helped give me confidence that I could achieve what I wanted to in my professional career.
“This experience was echoed at home; my parents were incredibly supportive, but my Mum in particular gave me the extra confidence – she had juggled working hard, carving out her own career, while always being there for my sister and I. She set us high standards, but gave us the confidence that we could achieve the same ourselves.”
Fellow Associate Director, Bev Cattano, who joined the Inspire team eight years ago, never set out to climb the corporate ladder, but with the support of her family, colleagues and an ethos of hard work, has achieved much more than she imagined.
Bev explains: “If you work hard and have the right attitude, then people recognise this and want to support you and help you grow. I have found this throughout my career; whenever I’ve been given an opportunity, I’ve grabbed it with both hands and worked hard to make it a success.
“I’m now in a position at Inspire that I can recognise that potential in others and support them as much as I can, giving them the confidence to grow and develop in their roles. I truly believe that by supporting people, regardless of the stage of their career, they will become more confident and in turn, inspire and provide that support to others.”
Liz Phipps’ journey at Inspire began just over year ago when she joined the team as HR Manager.
“In my career to date I’ve been lucky enough to be supported in my work journey by some brilliant male and female colleagues and clients,” says Liz. “After spending over a decade working in HR in London at large corporates, I left my last role to start a family and move to Dorset. I had six years being a stay-at-home mum, raising my two boys, before looking to come back to work and find a new role in Dorset.
“I was told by a few people that some companies wouldn’t be interested in me because I’d been ‘out of work’ for a while. I’m grateful Inspire wasn’t one of them and recognised that me having spent time being a mum possibly only enriched, rather than diminished, my experience and perspective.”
Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, Inspire’s goal is to establish the firm as a true employer of choice to ensure it attracts, engages and retains the top talent in its profession.
Inspire is a firm that is passionate about being different. If you are an ambitious professional and are interested in joining this multi award-winning team, get in touch by calling 01202 717867.