“As women, our natural traits are an advantage” Yemi Jackson, CEO and Founder, Engage Transform

I was 11 when I arrived in the UK, bright-eyed and bushy tailed from Nigeria. I steered my way through a big London comprehensive school in the 80’s with my afro and accent by refusing to be bullied. Fighting back did impact my academic results, but I got back on track with a BTech in Finance. One of my lecturers was African and suggested I train to become an accountant. Not many black women were taking this path at the time.

After my degree, my first job was with Sainsburys in accounts as a temp. I am not one to accept the status quo and I am always looking for ways to improve things, so when I was left looking after the department for three days, I decided to reorganise the accounts payable process. Apparently, the suppliers were so surprised to be getting paid on time they alerted senior management who sought me out and offered me a permanent role and supported my accountancy training.

I stayed with Sainsburys until I qualified, this was the 90’s and I was one of only two black people in a finance department of around 200. I am grateful to have had supportive mentors throughout my career, including Sharon Gunn, Ex-COO of ICAEW, as well as great sponsors. People who have advocated for me when I wasn’t in the room have had a hugely positive impact on my career.

In my mid-40’s I decided to invest in myself and took an MBA. I’m not great at taking orders so I thought this might help me think outside the confines of finance. I was one of seven women on a course of 40+, and I started to think about the impact of diversity on leadership. This was a lightbulb moment, and I wrote my dissertation on the same topic.  The research is conclusive; diverse boards mean decisions are more robust, organisations access a broader demographic and growth increases.

Throughout my career I have met women, and women of colour, who are more than capable of senior roles, but are not getting them. My frustration led me to set up my company which helps organisations find exceptional talent by ensuring that their shortlist for senior roles is diverse. We don’t exclude anyone, we simply guarantee that companies are presented with all the talent available.

When I first joined the IoD in 2018, I was a little intimidated. Now I love it. 116 Pall Mall is a brilliant place to work and meet clients and I find the Carlton Room welcoming and a little softer than some of the other spaces. I have noticed a change in the diversity of members in recent years and I recently joined the Glass Ceiling Special Interest Group which has made a huge difference to my experience.

I will be celebrating International Women’s Day as an opportunity to applaud women and acknowledge that our difference is an advantage, not a negative. All change is uncomfortable, but we have made some progress. This is not the time to back track; we need to continue to move forward.