Lesley Pondevie

For me, ‘giving to gain’ is about recognising and nurturing the collective strengths of women.

I’ve been lucky to have been supported, mentored and inspired by some amazing women: teachers, colleagues, family members (myself, my mum and my niece pictured), gym buddies and friends whose collective guidance and cheerleading, often without them even realising, has profoundly affected the opportunities I see for myself and for other women.

Very recently within USW we’ve recruited a brilliant team of (almost exclusively – we’ve one fantastic male colleague 🙂) women as Academic Support Officers who bring with them an impressive set of skills, knowledge and experiences. I feel privileged to be able to shape and guide our ASOs within FBCI: so we’re purposefully building a team and creating and refining processes knowing that one woman’s skills are amplifying another’s. By very design we’re multiplying women’s voices and impact. That's 'giving to gain'.