Movers & Shakers - Katy Chamberlain

Brief Introduction - Name, position and company

Katy Chamberlain

Chief Executive

Chwarae Teg

With more than fifteen years of experience, Chwarae Teg is the leading professional agency for the economic development of women in Wales.

Chwarae Teg’s Agile Nation project, which will receive an £8.2m boost from the European Social Fund

through the Welsh Assembly Government, aims to establish models of delivery that support productivity and progression in employment utilising modern workforce practices, including flexible working and work life balance, to promote gender equality, career advancement and reduction

of the pay gap.

What strengths do you bring to the company?

One of the main reasons I was keen to join Chwarae Teg in this capacity is because my particular strengths work for the company in two ways. For example, I have been lucky to gain long experience of – and am passionate about - team and people management and development, which is crucial not only in leading the Chwarae Teg team to fulfil its objectives but also in understanding the issues which affect women’s ability to maximise their potential in the workplace. Similarly, my career has involved working with a wide range of businesses in a variety of capacities, which provides a good understanding of business drivers and priorities – again vital to an understanding of the sphere where Chwarae Teg seeks to influence, as well as working to the benefit of the company itself.

What are your business and personal aspirations?

We work to raise awareness of the needs of employers to access and make best use of the talents

of the whole labour market – not just a proportion of it. Chwarae Teg already holds the position of

trusted adviser to government, employers and individuals on why this is important and the methods by which it can be achieved. I want to see this position maintained and enhanced – in Wales, the UK, Europe and beyond, until we get to the position where we no longer have to convince people of the “why”, but are focused on the “how”. With the ESF funded Agile Nation project, our work with the Welsh Assembly Government and with employers and women in Wales, we have plenty of opportunities to achieve this.

On a personal level, my aspirations are simple in context (and probably mirror those of many people) – but can be hard to achieve! I want to have a happy, healthy family and to contribute to a worthwhile, healthy business where I am stimulated and challenged. And I want to maintain my sense of humour no matter what the odds.

What is the future of businesses in Wales?

The business landscape in Wales has changed massively since I began working here in 1984 – driving up and down the M4 in company with the coal convoys during the miners’ strike. The range of businesses in Wales is far more diverse and people’s views vary on whether or not that is a good thing. I know one thing with some certainty – the diversity will continue. I was involved in judging the Wales Innovation Award (awarded by the Wales Quality Centre) at the end of last year and this diversity was reflected by the finalists in that competition – private and public sector organisations, manufacturing and service sector, so-called traditional and ultramodern high tech businesses. It was a huge privilege to hear their stories and be shown their innovations and one thing became absolutely clear - the business landscape of the future will be made up of those companies prepared to listen to ideas, to collaborate with others to gain knowledge, to work as a team – a real team – and maximise all the resources at their disposal to innovate and adapt. I was inspired by the breadth of organisations out there and felt that in spite of the deeply distressing times we are experiencing, the business base of Wales is strong and we’ll see the benefits of that over the years to come.

Is there anything you know today that you wish that you had always known?

Half the fun in life is learning – the best kick I get out of my day is when I learn something I haven’t

come across before, or suddenly see something from a different angle which brings clarity and a

feeling of “ah-hah!”. So, no, there isn’t, as that would have taken the spice out of it.

Which living person do you most admire?

Where do I start? There are lots of things I admire in lots of people. In terms of public figures, if I have to plump for one it has to be Nien Cheng. Cheng worked in a senior position in Shell in Shanghai and became a target of attack by the Red Guards during China’s Cultural Revolution due to her management of a foreign firm. Her memoir, Life and Death in Shanghai, relates her experience of more than six years in prison, in squalid conditions and enduring repeated torture. When she left prison, she found that her daughter was murdered by Maoists after she refused to denounce her mother. I deeply admire the cool intellect with which she faced appalling trials. She saw and was able to articulate the nonsense at the heart of the Maoist regime and was able to use Mao’s own teachings against her interrogators. This clarity of thought seemed to underpin the strength which she found to survive not only her imprisonment, but the continued struggle she faced once free and the tragedy of the murder of her daughter. This ability to maintain one’s own clarity of thought and sense of what is right in the face of overwhelming odds seems to be a quality of all truly great people. But I also look closer to home. My mother and father have brought up three very different

daughters who are independent, energetic, who have all faced difficulties of one kind and another

through the years with determination. We remain close to each other even though we have very

different approaches to life. Through all that, my parents have lived their own, very active lives, had

a lot of fun, travelled, made friends and maintained open minds to deal with all the things which crop

up as the world changes. It looks pretty admirable to me.

What is your greatest extravagance?

My horse, I suppose, given that horses are an expensive hobby and I don’t ride her anywhere near as much as I should. But she doesn’t feel like an extravagance, she feels like an essential part of

my life. I don’t think she sees me in the same way, though. I’m just the one with the carrots.

What is your greatest fear?

I didn’t start life as a naturally confident person, so have long experience of battling with fears and not letting them stand in the way of what I need or want to do – and mostly, I’m successful. But one fear I have totally failed on, and that is spiders – those great big ones the size of greyhounds which appear in autumn. If they are standing still, I can just about cope with them but running – no. I have a particular shriek which resounds through the house when I have seen a spider, which never fails to irritate my husband. But enough of the gender stereotype – the reason he gets so cross is because he hates them too.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I’ve been lucky enough to conquer most of my obstacles along the way, and I hope that will continue. So at any time my greatest achievement is my latest achievement. I’m really proud of leading the Chwarae Teg team to secure funding for the Agile Nation project from the European Social Fund and the Welsh Assembly Government. I’m also very proud to have been appointed to lead such an important company with such an exciting agenda. But I don’t like the word “my” in all this – there is nothing I achieve alone or without support. I rely on my family, colleagues and friends, and that’s why I can look forward to the next set of challenges with confidence and a sense of adventure.

What is your motto in life?

I don’t know if you can call this a motto, as I had to think a bit to find it, but I suppose if I have a message for my daughter it would be “Take advantage of every opportunity you get – don’t sit and wait for the ideal one to come along”. And fundamentally “Behave decently to other people”.

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