International Women's Day Tribute

Vivienne Connell-Hall, Co-Founder HMRC BAME Women’s Network
Pays tribute her remarkable colleagues:  She writes:

On this International Women’s day (IWD), I want to register my appreciation of, and gratitude to, some remarkable women, who have been working tirelessly and unselfishly to make a difference to the status of BAME women in one government department, with remarkable success in a short space of time through the setting up of a BAME Women’s Network. 

The purpose of the network is to help BAME women develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed, identify and address any barriers to progression and help BAME women at all levels to achieve their potential. 

The Network has also successfully introduced an innovative ‘Reverse Mentoring Programme’. This involves a senior leader being mentored by a junior ethnic minority colleague who, from a diversity and inclusion perspective, is different from him/her in some way, and as a result has different experiences of the organisation.  Many senior leaders have participated in this programme and are being reverse mentored by members of the BAME Women’s network.

The network has also worked in collaboration with a number of external organisations. It has arranged a mentoring programme via the Network for Black professionals (NBP).  This has enabled several junior network members to be mentored by senior leaders from other organisations such as ‘Life long learning UK’, ‘Westminster University’, ‘St Giles Trust’ and ‘Voluntary Action Camden’. As well as provide formal training for BAME members as future mentors. The network has also hosted a master class on Personal Branding through working with Race for Opportunity (RFO).

The achievements of the BAME Women’s Network have been recognised by RFO and was short-listed for the ‘Employee Network’ award and was highly commended at the RFO 2010 annual awards ceremony.

Most of the work these BAME women undertake is on a voluntary basis, despite the demands of domestic pressures and personal circumstances.

Maureen Martin:  A mother, thinker, negotiator and strategist whose expertise in identifying what our aims should be and the path to reaching those aims.  She has mentored and guided colleagues to realise abilities they did not know they possess, raising self-esteem and changing their career outlook.

Beverley Martin:  A mother with organising and leadership skills that are second to none.  She sees things differently and adapts her style and approach depending on circumstances to make the difference for which the group is striving.

Sarah Guerra (the “Warrior Princess”):  A mother, trade union activist and equality representative, who challenges those who have power to make things happen.  She has a high level of perception about the causes of difficulties and uses her strong problem solving ability and articulacy to change things.

I salute too the other foot soldiers of the Network steering groupTarveen, Sadhia, Lynda, Cida, Ifeoma, Kshama, Mumtaz and Janet.

Main picture: Women of the BAME Women's Network