International women’s day

Saturday 8 March 2025 marks International Women’s Day, and the theme outlined by the United Nations is “For all women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.”

The theme calls for action that can unlock equal rights, power and opportunities for all, and a future where no woman is left behind. Central to this vision is empowering the next generation- particularly young women- as catalysts for lasting change. Because of this, we wanted to share with you more about our all-female Communications Team, and how Head of Communications, Claire Stanley is inspiring the next generation of female leaders.

Claire joined the world of media and journalism in the very early 2000’s, starting in commercial radio and heading to a national broadcaster some two years later. At this time, the organisation she worked for was very much male oriented and as a 23-year-old with lots of fresh ideas this made her career move difficult.

Claire remembers this as she says: “The constant rebuttal, criticism and lack of career development meant it became a toxic place to work - this was experienced by many of the young female journalists at the time, as a result of a fully male and different generational leadership team who had not evolved or moved on from the 70’s.”

We have all heard stories like these many times, and those organisations are now making progress but perhaps not quickly enough. Partly because of this Claire didn’t stay long and progressed her career nationally in commercial network radio before finding her career passion in communications.

Today, women still face challenges when they take on leadership roles but The Hydrant Programme, VKPP and TOEX Directors make it a priority to empower our female leaders to succeed in their roles. When asked now, what are some of the challenges you face as a woman in a leadership role, Claire said:

“This is a tough question as my role allows me to thrive as a leader thanks to Directors who allow me to take risk, make change and develop not just myself but my team and the programmes communications delivery.

“That aside, being a working mum is the biggest battle. Again, thanks to fantastic leaders I can juggle both and be at home for Alfie (the six-year-old – love of my life) whilst delivering at pace and flexing to meet family needs.

“I feel very lucky to be able to overcome this challenge with the support of incredible programme leads. Especially the Hydrant Programme and CSE Taskforce Director Richard Fewkes, who instils a family first approach and flexible working culture which I mirror in my team. I can only imagine how difficult it is for women who do not get this flexibility.”

As Claire has already mentioned, flexibility is critical to allowing women to thrive in the workplace whilst also managing the demands of their home life- which can often include motherhood too. Jenny Leaning, the Communications Lead, has felt the benefit of this flexibility herself. Jenny said:

“Our team are all passionate about what we do and strive to do the best we can, but at times home life must take priority for many different reasons and what makes that possible is that we are led by a woman who gets it. No questions asked, family first, then we’ll talk and make a plan if need be.

I speak from personal experience. During 2024 I had to take time away from my job to work out some mental health related issues. Claire was with me every step of the way. I won’t ever forget how she supported me. Her care for each of us in the team is authentic, always there and her absolute priority.”

Some of the Communications Team are still early into their careers, and Claire prioritises the professional development of the whole team, so that one day they too can be resilient female leaders. Claire said:

“Development is key- understanding their passions, skills gaps, and nurturing the skills they possess. Also giving them space to thrive, to take risk, to be creative, to challenge and to develop is crucial in building resilience and efficiency.

Career development is at the top of my list and so I meet with each member of the team monthly to look at how I can support them with this.”

Holly Sims joined the Hydrant Programme as the Digital Communications Officer in April 2024 and being the youngest member of the team, she is also only in the infancy of her career. Holly notes:

“When I was offered my position at the Hydrant Programme, I was immediately excited to work with Claire. I hadn’t had a female leader prior to this and knew that Claire had an excellent career and a vast skill set I was keen to learn from. I find her ability to manage a fast-paced demanding career and having a young child inspiring.

Claire and the Hydrant Programme have supported my career development, and I have attended multiple courses to upskill. I am constantly being given new opportunities to learn and develop.”

Claire did comment that having a team of strong, passionate and career driven women can lead to moments where things get heated, and people can feel let down and not heard. But that as a team they are able to have open and honest conversations in these moments and reflect.

We asked Claire, if you could talk to your younger self, what would you tell her, and she said:

“Be more resilient. I used to get so upset and emotional at the way others behaved and treated me for having passion and skills that meant I could deliver at pace and at a high level.

Instead of feeling like an imposter and doubting myself I should have always told myself to hold my head high, keep going and remember the problem is not you but them.”