We embrace and empower the women in our team

When it comes to being seen, being heard and feeling empowered as a woman, I feel I have something to offer to those around me especially the strong female team we have at Jacksons.

I have written and rewritten this piece to make sure it comes from a genuine place and not overpowering. I guess this is a part of the story: one of the unspoken rules women have to adhere to is being assertive without being labelled as too much or too emotional, when all we are really being is human. The language and the tone we use when it comes to talking about the women in our business is important to us, we want to inspire the strong team of women we have and be inspirational to the next generation.

Let me start from the beginning and share with you my journey of feeling valued and empowered at Jacksons. 

I am one of 3 girls who have been loved and supported at every turn and encouraged to be independent. We were very lucky to have a stable and loving childhood (shout out Mum and Dad!). My Mum is a strong role model, working hard at every opportunity to give us a path, allowing us to choose whatever we wanted to do in life. 

As a young girl, I was brought up on a farm with the freedom to play, to learn, to drive tractors, ride my BMX (gold and black - it was very cool), to bake, cook and be close to animals and nature; there were no restrictions and no stereotypes I had to follow as a young girl. I was good at sport, so I was encouraged to have a go at everything; I didn’t feel any different because of my gender. But, as I made my way through college, Uni, into adulthood and eventually into the workplace, I soon became aware that I might have to work harder to be heard and seen compared with my male counterparts. 

I didn’t understand the shift at first. It didn’t seem feasible that I would be passed over so many times for a better position. Every time I applied for a role I was more than qualified for and had the skills for, I missed out. This quickly became exhausting because in my life up until this point, I had always earned my situation by hard work and determination. 

I worked for many years in the banking industry where I was the sole female in a team of around fifteen guys, with an all-male ladder to the top, a tricky environment to work in until finally another female adviser joined. I later worked in a couple of other financial advice firms until I thankfully joined Jacksons. Whilst I have worked with some amazing people, for a long time I had no one to identify with and no one that I could talk to who understood my challenges. So, this stuff is important!

I have two great leaders who have enabled me to build a culture with them that gives everyone an equal voice. I want the women in our company to have the confidence and support to move forward with determination and the freedom to pass on the encouragement I was bought up with. 

I am grateful to be given the opportunity to help lead this amazing company to do something different, to challenge our boundaries and to learn and evolve. I don’t want to say I feel lucky because I have worked hard wherever I have landed, but maybe more importantly, I worked hard on my thinking and on myself as a human to be accepting of others, to encourage and surround myself people who feel the same.

I watched the Brits this week and got to experience the elation of seeing a female artist recognised for her outstanding contributions to music; I get to see female football players finally being given the platform they deserve for their talent. In an industry that has been historically male dominated, I am speaking to more and more females that are strong leaders, really making a difference to the team around them. We want to play a part in this journey; it’s important to the whole team!

At Jacksons we have a soon-to-be team of 22 with 9 females (we see you and we hear you!). We care about the balance in the team, finding great people to join us is where we are at, giving people opportunity by nurturing confidence and equipping people just to be themselves. Exams and experience are obviously important but big thinking, honesty, being humble enough to learn and being a collaborator is essential to be a part of the Jacksons team.

We want our strong females to come back to work if they take time to have a family. We have a leading maternity package and we want to give everyone the opportunity to excel and find in themselves what we often see. I am so proud to be a part of creating the best opportunities for the women in our workplace, to see them shine bright.

I could talk for hours about the gender inequality I have experienced, but the important thing now is to make an impact on our team - it’s such a respectful space with likeminded people. 

I am constantly thankful for having my mum as a strong female lead, my gran who I miss every day, my sisters who I love and my wife and daughter who empower me to follow my dreams.

On repeat:

Sharon Bray