International Women’s Day 2023
Happy International Women’s Day!
At LightSpeed, we #EmbraceEquity and celebrate our female colleagues who are helping to break down gender stereotypes by forging their careers in telecoms - a typically male-dominated industry.
We take pride in providing a supportive and flexible workplace where all our employees can be themselves. On this International Women’s Day, we want to highlight and celebrate the amazing things that all our employees bring to LightSpeed every day.
Celebrating Our Female Colleagues at LightSpeed
We interviewed some of our female colleagues to hear about their experiences at LightSpeed. Here’s what they had to say about their experiences and the role of gender equality in the workplace:
Laura Sylvester-Smith - Customer Experience Manager
Who are you and what role do you do?
I’m Laura and I look after our Customer Experience teams at LightSpeed. That includes looking after our amazing Customer Service team who go above and beyond every single day to make sure our customers get the very best of Life at LightSpeed. It also includes oversight of all our customer journeys – making sure everything works together, is continuously improving and that we’re putting the customer and their experience at the forefront of any decisions.
This is my first role in telecoms and prior to joining, I hadn’t fully appreciated broadband, how dependent we are on it (despite my Netflix addiction) and the importance of digital equality. It’s an extremely rewarding industry to work in, and our ever-changing digital needs means there’s never a dull day. The flexibility at LightSpeed also enables me to enjoy and make the most of my home life with a toddler (who is fully embracing the terrible twos).
Laura Girling - Exchange Build Programme Manager
What do you enjoy most about working at LightSpeed?
One of the main things I love about my job is seeing our leadership team encourage women to take on senior roles and genuinely wanting their employees to have a healthy work-life balance. I am a first-time mum and started working at LightSpeed when my boy was 6 weeks old, and I have never felt any pressure or judgement for having a career and a baby. In fact, my manager asks about my baby and welcomes him joining our internal calls. Meetings are planned around nap/feed times and advance noticed is always given in case I need to book childcare. Knowing I can jump off a call if my baby needs me, and there will be no questions asked, gives a real work-life balance where I can do both.
Christine Taylor – Street Works Manager
What advice do you have for women wanting to work in the industry?
Be confident and be prepared to be working in a male dominated industry and forget about the stereotype around it, also be happy to work in a team as you are going to be mixing with people from every aspect of the business.
Inspired? We’re always on the lookout for talented women to join our growing team. Follow us on LinkedIn to see what we’re up to and check out our latest vacancies on our careers page.
We asked our male colleagues to share stories about the women who have inspired them and made a big impact in their lives. Here’s what they had to say!
Scott Williams – Director of Strategy
Tell us about an inspirational woman in your life
My biggest inspiration was without doubt my Mum. She was one of the strongest people I have ever met and really instilled the core principles in me that have helped me develop my own career. She would always remind about the importance of working hard, treating people with respect and I knew that I could always rely on her support and honesty. She worked in the local Youth Club in quite a tough area of Manchester, dealing with people from all backgrounds and was highly respected by everyone who met her. Her influence on me as a person and indirectly on my career is immeasurable.
Adam Phillips – Content Specialist
Tell us about an inspirational woman in your life
Inspirational women were never hard to come by in the Phillips household. My mum, my best friend and underdog for comedian of the year, continues to be a great source of inspiration and strength, seemingly single-handedly keeping the family afloat at times. She’s a pillar of strength; a foundation for our family. And what’s more, she managed to raise us alone for a good few years. If I want to find an inspirational woman, I don’t have to look far.
Happy International Women’s Day from LightSpeed!