International Women's Day: Meet our Team Caroline Brash
To mark International Women's Day 2022, we have invited the women of NOE CPC to share their experiences. First up is our Training, Events & Business Development Manager Caroline Brash
Why do you think it is important to celebrate IWD and what does it mean to you?
It’s important to me to celebrate International Women’s Day because until we have complete equality we need to not only reflect and support the rights of women, we need to celebrate women! Perhaps most importantly we need to reflect on and remember our own personal strengths and achievements which I think we often overlook.
Have you faced any barriers in your career due to being a woman and how did you overcome them?
I feel there do sadly remain barriers to women looking to develop their careers, and even in the public sector where you would like to assume these barriers are long gone, pockets of resistance remain. However, when my children were 2 and 4 and I unexpectedly became a single parent, the leadership of NOE CPC’s predecessor which I worked for at the time, was incredibly supportive and trusted me enough to allow me the flexibility to develop my career, despite the potential barriers my personal situation presented.
What changes would you like to see for the next generation?
I would like to get to a point where we no longer need to mark International Women’s Day. I think that is optimistic sadly. However, maybe in the next 20 years or so we will no longer feel the need to celebrate in the UK at least and we will genuinely have complete equality. However, I suspect we will need to continue to support and speak out for our sisters globally for many, many decades to come.
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
Don’t be afraid to be yourself.
Share an empowerment moment that inspired you
After I was divorced from my first husband, it was extremely hard at times in many ways, not least financially. The most empowered I felt was when I was finally able to pay off the charge he held on our property. The house was signed over to me alone, and it remains in my name still, even though I am happily remarried. I never want to be so reliant on anyone else financially ever again.
Can you tell me about a female role model who has inspired you over your career?
It’s a relatively recent example but I feel the way Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, quietly and decisively handled the COVID-19 pandemic was breath-taking. I must confess to having known very little about her pre-COVID, but her response to the horrific Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019 was equally strong yet dignified.
What are you most proud of in your career?
I am proud of having been able to balance, first, motherhood, and now being a carer, whilst continuing to develop personally and professionally. I genuinely believe I do the very best that I can in the work that I do.
What was your dream career when you were a child?
I wanted to be a solicitor, but after I finished university, I felt guilty about asking my parents to pay for another year of education for the conversion course. I do dream that Hempsons or Capsticks may still want to snap me up!