Full house as business leaders hear from Inspiring Women

Pictured (from left) are Kathryn Shillito, Jenny Howard-Coombes, Mary Glew, Lucy Nichol and Nigel Dibb, General Manager of the Holiday Inn Hull Marina.

SEXISM in politics, the stigma around mental health and the need for society to commit to culture all combined to create a compelling agenda as HullBID brought together business leaders for its annual Inspiring Women dinner.

Kathryn Shillito, HullBID City Centre Manager, said the three speakers – Mary Glew, Lucy Nichol and Jenny Howard-Coombes – provided great insight into their own areas of expertise and shared the key connection of having overcome considerable challenges in embarking on their careers.

Mary stepped down as a member of Hull City Council this year after a term of 15 years which included serving as Lord Mayor in 2014. She told the audience of her upbringing in a large family, her career in nursing and her move into politics, inspired by the Suffragettes and determined to overcome discrimination in a male-dominated environment.

Lucy, Beverley-born author and journalist, told of her career in the media and of the inspiration for her acclaimed new book, A Series of Unfortunate Stereotypes.

She revealed: “It’s based on my own experience and is about how the media and popular culture have portrayed mental illness over the years. It’s a lot better now but it’s nowhere near perfect.

“There’s something about anxiety. It’s not a personality type, it’s an illness. You can be an incredibly strong person with anxiety. It’s not about being nervous before a speech. That’s a perfectly normal reaction!”

Jenny Howard-Coombes, Executive Director of Hull’s Freedom Festival, spoke about the current state of play in Hull as the city sets out to build on its UK City of Culture status.

She said: “As a city post-2017 we are in a transitional period where people are starting to realise the potential of arts and culture but there is still no recognition of it as a sector, a high value sector.

“There’s no real focus on the creative industries; it still feels like it’s a ‘nice to have’. We have to show that we get it and we are going to invest. It’s integral to regeneration.”

The event, which is organised annually by HullBID and was hosted and sponsored by the Holiday Inn Hull Marina, has become a highlight of Humber Business Week.

Kathryn said: “It was great to see another full house for our Inspiring Women dinner with guests drawn from BID businesses – owners, directors and chief executives all with a common interest in Hull. It was an opportunity to meet and network, relax and enjoy an evening listening to the speakers.

“They were three very different speakers who all brought their personal experiences and family values and spoke about balancing families with their careers. They shared stories that resonated with many members of our audience. It’s one of the HullBID events that I really look forward to because it’s a lovely evening – informative and bringing together women in the workplace.”