Meet the Allies Backing Women into Work in the North East

Aside from practical support, empowering women in the North East needs actionable and visible change to encourage other employers to meet the needs of women wanting to work.

We see the lack of flexible jobs becoming a frequent barrier for women when they are applying for jobs, which limits their choices.

In this edition of Ally in Action, we speak to Ian Thomas, whose career in tourism and regional development at NGI has centred around improving the lives of people in the Newcastle and Gateshead region.

Tell  us about yourself and your career/business?

• I  am Chief Operating Officer at NewcastleGateshead Initiative. I have been at NGI for the last 15 years and can probably be described as a tourism obsessive, having worked in the sector since 2001, with 20 years in data and insights before taking on this latest role

What  inspired you to get involved with Smart Works?

• I  have watched from a distance the work of Smart Works with admiration. Much of the work of NGI is aimed at making the lives of the residents of  Newcastle and Gateshead better so we share a similar ethos. It was      fantastic to be told that there was an opportunity to be an ally and show my support for such a great charity.

What does being a male ally mean to you?

• I am proud to call myself an ally for Smart Works and see it is a privilege to be able to raise the profile of their work, support the cause in any way I can, and also to learn from those who Smart Works has supported about their lived experience.

Which  woman from the North East do you admire and why?

• I  am lucky to have learnt from many female leaders Sarah Stewart my first boss at NGI gave me a lot of support and is still supporting many organisations as a Trustee, and my current boss, Sarah Green helped to      guide NGI through some challenging times during Covid and richly deserves her recent OBE. I also have to give a shout-out to some of the great female leaders in our cultural organisations, including Abigail Pogson at  the Glasshouse and Rhiannon Hiles at Beamish.

What  advice would you give to other men who want to get involved but don’t know  where to start?

• I think the smallest things can make a big difference so have a chat with the team at Smart Works or the trustees and it can be as simple as amplifying the messages  

How do you help raise awareness and support Smart Works within your workplace or wider network?

• Wherever I can, I make sure I share the work of the team and try to raise awareness so that more and more people are able to engage with the charity

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Want to support our work?

Here's how to get involved email: samara.laboriel@smartworks.org.uk

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