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Did you know that 8th March is International Women’s Day 2023? This global day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equity. The first IWD gathering took place in 1911, and was supported by over a million people. The theme for International Women’s Day 2023 is #EmbraceEquity. In fact, the objective is to get the world talking about why “equal opportunities are no longer enough”.
While equity and equality are often used interchangeably, IWD maintains that they are inherently different concepts. Equality means that each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities. Equity, however, recognises that each person has different circumstances. Then it allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.
Caple has always worked hard to create a fair and inclusive workplace. We pride ourselves on our commitment to apply equity to women’s advancement. We’re hugely proud of the achievements of all of our female (and male) employees. In this special feature to celebrate International Women’s Day 2023, our marketing manager Gemma took the opportunity to sit down with a selection of the team. Here, she discovers more about what interests, inspires and motivates them:
As the first point of contact for customers, Emily’s role is vital. She welcomes guests to our HQ for Caple experience days and showroom tours and transfers telephone queries to the correct department. Emily also assists the accounts and admin departments. She’s an invaluable friendly face that anyone can approach when they need help.
“I’m exceptionally lucky in my role,” Emily explains. “I get to see everyone across the company, not just those in one department. What I honestly enjoy most about my role is the people I get to meet and see every day. I have made many lifelong friends thanks to Caple.”
We know that our customers’ experience starts with the person who answers the phone and greets people at reception. So, we’re hugely thankful to Emily for being so brilliant at her role.
International Women’s Day 2023 is important to Emily because it represents an opportunity to celebrate women’s accomplishments. “As a women with a background in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths), this is really important to me,” she notes. “Previously, STEM jobs were male-dominated, particularly in senior roles.
Now we are seeing more and more women assuming senior roles in STEM subjects, and studying STEM subjects in school, college and university, which is fantastic! This also helps to break down the gender stereotypes in society, so little girls now think they can follow any career they want without being told ‘that’s a man’s job’.”
Emily has three key female role models, who have inspired her to pursue her goals: Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. She explains: “All three were pioneering, black female engineers and mathematicians. Their incredible skills, intelligence and determination sent the men of the Apollo 11 mission safely to the moon on July 20th 1969.” On a more contemporary note, Emily names England Lioness Jill Scott as the celebrity who she feels deserves special recognition on International Women’s Day 2023. “Jill has done wonders to engage women in football and inspire the younger generation. She also shows that football is a game for everyone,” she declares.
As a key member of the national sales office team, Amanda is responsible for processing all incoming orders and enquiries. It’s a role that involves the prompt actioning of a high volume of calls and emails. These, in turn, require excellent time management and trouble shooting skills. “I enjoy problem solving the most,” Amanda reveals. “I find it very rewarding to analyse information to identify any issues, and implement the changes. As a result, this makes everything easier for the team and our customers.”
She too regards International Women’s Day 2023 as an important opportunity to celebrate women and their achievements. “We haven’t always been treated equally, as we are today,” she notes. “And, I think there are so many historical moments that would have turned out very differently if they’d had the benefit of a women’s opinion.”
No problem is too big or too small for Amanda, who’s renowned for her skills at finding solutions
Touchingly, Amanda cites her mum as the key female role model in her life. “She’s a very strong and independent woman. She is always there to help everyone – no matter what – make the best of any situation.
The late Whitney Houston is the celebrity Amanda singles out for special recognition. “Having just watched the new epic biopic on her life, I’m truly inspired by her and all she achieved.”
Lauren’s role is centred around the day-to-day running of Caple’s new Leeds Studio, hosting and facilitating experience days for clients and customers.
“I really enjoy showcasing our products and discussing how FAB they are (in terms of Features And Benefits),” she explains. “Giving customers a great experience and developing their knowledge about our vast portfolio, while discussing the shared passions we have about our industry, always makes for a great working day.”
Lauren is renowned for her energy, passion and detailed industry knowledge. She also has to be versatile and think on her feet. “My role within the team needs to adapt to different customer types, learning styles and personalities,” she agrees.
Who runs the world? Women! Thanks to her mum, Lauren has always believed that she could achieve anything she wanted to, through hard work and perseverance
Lauren freely admits that she has never really focused on International Women’s Day per se before. Although she was brought up with the belief that she could achieve anything she wanted, if she worked hard for it. “Starting my full-time career at 19, as a woman in a predominantly male environment, was initially challenging,” she admits. “But I never accepted being asked to make the brews…I quickly found my passion for kitchen installation and, after developing my technical skills, I soon became to the go-to lady in the trade.”
Like Amanda, Lauren credits her mum as a vital role model in her life. “She taught me to work hard, and always supported my choices, both personal and professional. She also encouraged me to be proud of what I have achieved, and stay true to who I am as an individual.”
Kayleigh deals with anything and everything that’s customer-related. She’s also the go-to person whenever a spare part needs sourcing.
“I enjoy working as part of a team and always resolving the issue for the customer,” she relates. “I pride myself on always helping my team with solutions.”
On International Women’s Day 2023, Kayleigh is thankful for her friends, family and colleagues, who support her in her daily life, and make Caple such a great place to work.
Kayleigh believes that International Women’s Day 2023 is important because it highlights all the powerful women in society. On a related note, Kayleigh names her mum and nan as her key role models. This is because they raised her to be strong, independent and to look out for herself and others. She observes: “Thanks to them, I hope that my own daughter will also grow up to be a strong, kind, caring and independent woman.”
Kayleigh doesn’t single out any celebrities for special recognition. “I feel the people who deserve it [recognition] the most are the friends, family and colleagues who are always there for me in my day-to-day life, cheering me on and pushing me to be my best self.”
Cora’s role involves looking after the Leeds showroom, assisting Lauren with experience days, and taking care of bookings and other admin. “I enjoy the experience days the most,” she reveals. “They give me opportunities to meet other people in the industry, and learn a lot more for myself about the Caple brand.”
International Women’s Day 2023 is important to Cora because it helps to shine a light on women’s struggles and celebrations. “I would have liked to have seen this type of empowerment when I was younger,” she notes. “I think it’s important for the younger generation to learn all about the strong women of the past, present and future.”
Cora believes it’s important to highlight women’s struggles as well as their celebrations, so that the next generation can learn from the past, in order to create a better future.
The celebrities Cora singles out for special recognition on International Women’s Day 2023 are all from the world of music: Joy Crookes, Mahalia and Lizzo. However, Cora says her family are her most important role models. “My sisters and my mum are the strongest women I know,” she concludes. “They have made so many sacrifices for their children, and have shown me how much strength a woman can have.”
Space constraints make it impossible to highlight every amazing woman at Caple. However, we want to take this opportunity to thank each and every member of our valued team. We absolutely appreciate all the hard work and dedication that’s helped to build Caple into the successful company it is today.
