Questions to Jessica Parrish, Founder - Shedid & Parrish /J.P Riverside

To celebrate International Women’s Day & Women’s History Month, Krishnan asked a few questions to Jessica Parrish, Founder - Shedid & Parrish /J.P Riverside

What does IWD mean to you?

I haven’t really thought much about IWD before this year if I’m honest. Whilst I think it’s important to highlight the inequality between the sexes and champion women’s achievements, this really should be done every day.  I’m keener on being the change and making small things happen every day rather showcasing one big thing once a year.

Why haven't we achieved equality, despite legislation in place regarding pay? 

Why haven’t we achieved equality full stop.  For centuries, our world has been built with a focus on one group perceiving themselves superior to the rest.  It’s this sense of superiority that is the problem.  When we actually respect everyone as equals the sex of an individual should have no relevance.  I’m afraid that until those making the pay decisions in big businesses are balanced across the disparate groups change is unlikely to happen. Those decision makers need to acutely feel this is inherently wrong and strong voices are needed to enforce its importance. Equally, men tend to ask for more with more confidence and as a result tend to get more.  Women should try to learn from this too and be more proactive and confident in their approach. 

How would you advise young women leaders on how to build confidence in their ability as a manager and leader?

I think that the younger generation are inherently more confident and are celebrated as such.  What I would say however is remembered to keep your ears open.  Being strong and confident is fantastic but we can’t always know everything.  Being able to listen and learn to those around us is so beneficial – as a leader some of the best ideas come from others.  The more you develop the ability to have confidence in yourself whilst retaining humility to learn the more you’ll grow. 

What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders? 

Be strong and know your worth.  I’d love to say that the next generation of female leaders will be equal to their male counterparts, but I fear this will not be the case yet.  We will however be closer, and this is often the dangerous time where we take a foot off the gas and think our work is done. It won’t be.  There will still be the need to support women through the ranks and proactively bring them through for a more balanced well-rounded team. Keep fighting for equality, celebrate the wins but never forget where the journey should end. 

What initiatives should companies invest in to promote women in leadership? 

I believe it’s more than initiatives.  It needs a total cultural shift.  Women and men behave differently today due to the social conditioning we’ve all grown up with.  There have been countless studies showing women will undermine their ability when a man in the same situation will inflate their own.  We need to encourage women to feel confident in speaking out and change this pattern, but equally companies need to frame the questions in such a way where women are not penalised by this trait. 

Do women in our sector have a hard time getting promoted? 

I’ve been thinking about this recently.  I actually think that there are more women in senior positions than we know about.  This goes back to the ‘self-promotion’ that I think women tend to do less of.  You’ve been doing this great series and I’ve seen other interviews with senior women across the sector whom I hadn’t realised where there.  The more we see like reflecting back, the more we can achieve.  Show these women, bring them on the panels, write them up and ask their opinions. 

If you could choose one recommendation for HR leaders to help promote women in the workplace, what would it be? 

Equalise the boards.  The more diversity you have there, the more the culture will seep through the organisations and this will no longer be a discussion.

Is there a particular leader you look up to? 

There are many amazing leaders out there and most recently I’ve been particularly impressed by Jacinda Ardern.  She seems to approach the world from a place of calm and rationality, focused on the problem and finding the solution, and most importantly, focused on delivering what’s best for her ‘clients’ which is the population of ‘New Zealand’

What advice would you give your younger self? 

Hold on and enjoy the ride.  Don’t worry so much about what others think about you… you’re probably not even on their radar!