International Women's Day with Lisa Aston
As part of our International Women’s Day celebrations, we caught up with Lisa Aston - Branch Manager at Basildon TC - on her experience in Retail. Lisa has also recently won Manager of the Year for the South Division at our 2021 conference. Huge congratulations!
For me, International Women's Day is a time to celebrate the strong, successful women striving for equality and deserved recognition in the workplace. I am inspired by many strong women in my life: Other women Branch Managers - who have to be outstanding managers because they wouldn't have made it to where they are with just being average. The women in my team that are mothers - just dropping off the kids after the school run, working a 6-hour shift, then back to pick the kids up, onto collecting the shopping ,making the dinner, doing the housework and every other plate mums keep spinning.
All women inspire me, as all women contribute to the world in their own way. I am inspired every day to be the best me I can be, for my wife and daughter.
Working in a mostly male-dominated environment (well, I'm told I do when I ask why we do so much advertising around football - yes, women like football too), I face stereotyping most days when serving customers on the tills. When they ask me if there is a man that I can ask if it's a plumbing, electrical or DIY product they would like to buy, I overcome this by baffling them with my 13 years of product confidence.
It is important to #ChooseToChallenge for change, pathing the way for our next generation to have the same opportunity as any another.
