Happy International Women's Day!

Happy International Women’s Day! In light of this celebration, we thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to profile some of the brilliant female employees we have working here at Premier Group! 

We’ve always made it a priority to have a diverse workforce in terms of gender, race and personality as we believe this encourages creativity and originality throughout the business. In terms of gender diversity, 49% of our employees are currently female and 51% male. Also, when looking at the stats for just our senior members of staff, 53% of these employees are female compared to 47% male. We are extremely proud to have a great balance of male and female employees across the business and this is something we will strive to keep as an ongoing goal moving forward.

Here’s what some of our senior female members of staff had to say about their experience working with Premier:

Charlotte Allen - Team Lead

"I decided to make the career move to Recruitment almost 5 years ago now from Estate Agency and I haven’t looked back since. When I decided to make the move within sales I wanted to make sure I chose a company where I could grow and develop, both in terms of skills and career progression, and where everyone had the same opportunity or path available despite previous experience. I started as a Rookie and through exceeding targets and following development plans set out right from the start I have worked my way up to being a Team Leader in our Reading office looking after the Engineering Permanent team. I’ve enjoyed working in an environment where you are promoted purely on the merit of your work ethic and success! It’s also empowering have other women in different Senior positions in the business and to continuously be pushed and supported to progress even more"

Uni Patel - Finance Director

"It hasn’t been an easy ride, I arrived in the UK in 2007 with little to no work experience but with 2 Finance degrees (which were not valid in the UK). I became a part qualified accountant whilst holding down a job working late nights at the local cinema. I then started applying for jobs as a part qualified accountant and could not even secure an interview. The feedback I got was that I was over qualified with no relevant experience. I finally secured a job as a Finance Admin staff member for a privately owned debt collection firm. I stayed with the company for 7 years and progressed through several positions. Finance Team Leader, Finance Manager and then Financial Controller. There were a number of hurdles along the way which were overcome by hard work and determination.

I would say that my major breakthrough was when I secured my job at Premier Group Limited as a Financial controller and now a Finance Director. The management structure is extremely open and I found it easy to implement my ideas and I have been granted a lot of autonomy, which allows me to make my own mark.

Managing a family life has been challenging, my husband and I are constantly mixing things up, whether that's working on our home, looking after our 5 year old or supporting my husband's business interests but what helps is Premier are also a flexible employer. The Company Directors understand the need to support their employees which allows me to have the work life balance which we all need."

Lisa Edge - Operations Manager

"I’m very fortunate to work for an organisation where capability within a role is the only thing that matters, gender has fortunately never been an issue. A third of our senior management team here are female as is 65% of our senior sales team. I have respect from my peers and I’m proud to be part of a company that empowers women to achieve their best and supports those who wish to juggle successful careers with raising a family."

Harriet Rawlinson - Team Manager

"I graduated from University in 2009, and instantly knew I wanted to build a big career in the city. Initially going down the legal route beginning my training as a Solicitor I decided that I wanted to pursue a career where I could develop and grow my skills very quickly, as well as gain responsibility and be in control of my own career progression and earnings. Recruitment is something I had never considered whilst at University, but it’s the best move I ever made and I have never looked back since joining the industry and Premier 8 years ago. I did not have an easy start, and spent most of my initial two years working almost every hour god sent to begin to build my business and more importantly my reputation in the industry.  

My hard work, determination and motivation to be the best eventually started to pay off, and I was then rewarded for my success being promoted up through the business. It’s safe to say this made all the hard work seem like a distant memory as it felt great to build both a fantastic client reputation as well as reputation within Premier. I find it incredibly rewarding to have got to a senior position in the company purely as reward and recognition for the hard work I have put in. I have also been rewarded for my results by being offered shares in the business which shows acknowledgement and appreciation for the dedication over the past 8 years. 

It’s also extremely empowering to have so many successful females on the Senior Team, who are able to hold down a highly successful career as well as being given the flexibility to balance home life along side this."

Happy International Women's Day to everyone!