What are you doing to celebrate International Women’s Day?
Nothing special
What is your job?
Councillor for Edinburgh City Centre, Conservative Group whip and Transport and Environment Spokesman
Would you give us a quick version of your career path?
Worked the 1997 general election as general girl Friday for the Conservative Party in Scotland (ahem!), temped across Edinburgh, Exec PA to Chief Executive of a Finance Company, Parliamentary Assistant to an MSP, then got elected.
If you had been given career advice on leaving school (knowing what you know now!) what would it have been?
Get a professional qualification then do politics on the side!
Do you use any formal networking organisations? If you do which ones do you find useful?
No
Do you think there are enough women in important positions in private and public organisations in Edinburgh?
I think quality is more important than quantity and am uncomfortable with anyone being promoted because of what they are rather than what they can do or what skills they can bring to an organisation. It’s interesting to see how people react when women storm the bastions of very traditionally male areas and bring new skills and ways of interacting – I can see an improvement in the balance and there is definitely more of an attitude that it’s what you bring to the table that counts rather than what you do outside work.
Who is your inspirational female figure and why?
Impossible to come up with just one – probably all the women who manage to succeed in juggling fulfilling work and family life with a few historic inspirations from Lizzie Bennet, Elizabeth Fry, Nancy Astor and Theresa May.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
