International Woman’s Day – a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women!
Our final wahine to celebrate, who also contributes to the leadership & governance at HERA, is Jane Warren.
Jane is on our HERA Executive Board and another wahine toa (strong woman) to admire having overcome prejudice and defending woman’s right during her career.
Jane has been joint CEO of Dixon Manufacturing for over 20 years now, succeeding in a very male orientated environment.
Check out her quick International Woman’s Day interview below! #IWD22 #breakthebias
Why do you think it is important to celebrate International Women’s Day?
I have been lucky enough to grow up in a society that hasn’t really prevented me from achieving whatever I wish to achieve, but sadly that isn’t the case in a lot of countries and hopefully it brings awareness to a new generation of young women all around the world.
Have you faced any barriers in your career due to being a woman? If so, how did you overcome them?
Early on in my career in Finance in UK – I definitely experienced inequality in pay and opportunity. I became involved in our union to try and change these views.
My business in NZ, in the Marine Industry, was very male dominated and with dinosaurs that thought women couldn’t possibly know the answer to anything technical! Thankfully that has now changed.
What is the most important piece of advice you have been given?
Treat people as you would like to be treated yourself.
How can we encourage more women to pursue entrepreneurship or senior leadership roles in their career?
I think Covid-19 has helped with this, as I believe more women have developed small businesses from hobbies and similar. They have used the ever growing marketplace of social media to achieve success. These are prime examples to teach others.
What is the most important message you want to send out to young women thinking about their careers?
Nothing is set in stone – always try to do something you love, and if its not the right thing for you, change it!
Is there anyone that inspires you in your career?
All my team members and my partner Andrew.
Why do you think diversity in the workplace is so important?
Everyone brings their own quirks and experiences from their individual backgrounds and recognising that your way isn’t always the only way, makes for a more inclusive team.
If you could have dinner with three inspirational women, dead or alive, who would they be and why?
Anne Frank – her story so affected me as a child.
Marie Curie – because she defied tradition.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth – to really know what she thinks of everyone!
Ngā mihi nui Jane!
