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Trade celebrates International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day comes round at the beginning of spring, when many businesses in UK wine and spirits take the opportunity to highlight the female-backed projects taking place within their operations.

Many more are marking the occasion via a number of new initiatives. For example, spirits distributor Mangrove Global has partnered with the team at Hawksmoor to launch a pioneering new series of seminars, with places available to anyone in the trade.

• Read more: Double Dutch reveals scholars for Bartending Scholarship Programme

The first event, Smashing through the Glass Ceiling – Empowering Women to Rise to the Top, took place on 5 March, with Anna Sebastian, consultant and founder of Celebrate Her, among those on the panel. For more information on upcoming dates, contact louise.holloway@mangroveuk.com.

Also taking the opportunity to look at the wine and spirits industry from a female perspective is BBR.

Berry Bros. & Rudd was founded over 325 years ago by the woman known only as Widow Bourne when she set up shop selling tea, coffee and other fashionable commodities of the time.

While little is known about Widow Bourne, today, BBR is run by a leadership team of three women.

Here, Harpers caught up with the trio, pictured above from left to right: Barbara Drew MW, content officer, Emma Fox, CEO and Lizzy Rudd, chair.

Berry Bros has a male business name – how do people react when they discover there are a team of women running the business?

Lizzy Rudd: Our business – and the wine industry as a whole – has changed dramatically in terms of female representation. Today, at Berry Bros. & Rudd we have a majority female senior leadership team, including female CFO, CCO and CMO, and that certainly has not always been the case. Now thankfully we are moving to this not being the surprise it once was, although it is still the exception rather than the norm.

Barbara Drew: First they are surprised, sometimes really quite shocked. The wine industry is often perceived as being very male dominated, so the idea that over 300 years ago we were founded by a woman is a bit of a jump. This is usually swiftly followed by delight. I’ll often see guests at a tasting reappraising everything they thought they knew about us!

How do you think female management style differs to men in retail / luxury goods market?

Emma Fox: I think now it is less about seeing management styles in such binary terms but more about championing and valuing those attributes that have traditionally been seen as ‘female’ – empathy, listening skills, collaboration – which are all crucial in any business.

What are the advantages of being a woman in business?

Fox: I think women are excellent collaborators and in a business like ours, which is all about relationships, be those customer, producer or colleague, that is so important. From a practical point of view, we want to grow our female customer base and it helps to be able to see through that lens.

Drew: I think sometimes it can give you permission to have trickier conversations with your team about how life outside work might be impacting their role. Often there is the fear of saying the wrong thing, but being able to sit down and really empathise with many of the life events that your teams are going through is very powerful. It builds connections. It builds loyalty. It builds stronger teams and generates better results.

And the drawbacks?

Drew: In situations where you are the only woman in the room, it can be hard to avoid the temptation to behave like everyone else, just to fit in. You need to accept that you might address problems differently, and you might react differently, to men in a similar situation. Learning to embrace that difference can feel uncomfortable at first.

How would you encourage more women into senior business roles?

Rudd: Leading by example and having women at a senior level across every area of our business has undoubtedly contributed to our inclusive culture. I also think you have to offer flexibility so that women can make their job work alongside wider caring responsibilities. Of course, flexibility is key for everyone and being able to demonstrate that throughout the business makes women feel more supported in their roles. It goes without saying that it’s important to close the gender pay gap. Women also often care about broader issues beyond business, and I think getting into senior business roles can give them the opportunity to push an agenda and influence change in an area that they are truly passionate about, for example, sustainability – something that is very close to my heart.

What advice would you give to other women climbing the career ladder?

Drew: Ask for what you need. It sounds simple, and I know many find it incredibly difficult (myself included). Ultimately, hiring is a long and expensive process, so companies want their colleagues to be a success. Your boss, and your company, will do their best to give you what you need to do a great job.”

Fox: Be confident and say yes to opportunities that are offered even if you don’t think you are 100% qualified for the role. Often your boss will see your skills in a far clearer, and more positive light, than you do. If they think you can do it, trust them.”

• Berry Bros. & Rudd
• Women in Wine
• International Women’s Day