Denise, recently moved into her new role as Commercial Project Manager at Baywater Healthcare. She has shared her thoughts on International Women’s Day.
Tell us about yourself
I am the Commercial Project Manager. I have worked for Baywater for 5 and a half years and started as the Bid Manager. I still have an active role with bid management and lead the bid team in responding to bids for new contracts. I ensure our response is comprehensive and competitive to deliver a win for the organisation. I work with the team to ensure each element of the bid is completed to a high standard, meeting the requirements of the NHS. My role has expanded in the last 12 months to include managing the mobilisation of new contracts and project management throughout the company. I also lead the Sustainability Champion group to help drive social value throughout the company.
You undertook an Apprenticeship to develop your role at Baywater, tell us about your apprenticeship
I completed a Level 5 apprenticeship in Operational Management. The course taught me various management skills, including leadership styles, project management, coaching and mentoring. For me, the benefit of completing the apprenticeship while working meant that I could apply everything I learnt and put it into practice straight away. The apprenticeship has given me more confidence in my ability to lead a project or bid team.
What skills are key in your role?
I need a wide range of skills for my role, with the main one being good project management skills. I also need good time management and planning skills to manage multiple tasks and prioritise to ensure we meet our tight deadlines. I have to have good leadership and communication skills to ensure I motivate the team I am working with and lead them to achieve our goals. Finally, problem solving skills, I need to have the ability to quickly identify and address potential issues before they become bigger problems that could affect the project or bid.
Who is your female role model?
My female role model is a woman called Brigette Hyacinth. Brigette is an international keynote speaker, best selling author and thought leader on leadership and HR. She is the CEO and Founder of Leadership EQ – a leadership development and performance organisation. I have followed Brigette on LinkedIn for a few years now. Brigette has been ranked within the top 100 influencers in leadership and development, top 100 most influential people of African Descent under 40 and top 75 remote work influencers.
She posts some really inspirational and thought provoking statements. She looks at things differently and really drives forward the importance of putting people first and being a good leader. She regularly posts about magnifying the positives of people to play to their strengths – ‘we rise by lifting others’.
Something I really admire her for is how she never gave up and sees the positive in everything. Something she wrote about that sticks with me is to ‘never give up, just try one more time’.
This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #EmbraceEquity, how important is it that you work for a company that does demonstrate that it is embracing equity?
It is very important to work for a company that embraces equity, as it is a sign that the company values diversity, fairness, and inclusion. Having an equitable workplace means that everyone can reach their potential, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other personal characteristics. Companies prioritising equity are more likely to be successful, as they can draw from a more diverse pool of talent and ideas. Working for a company like Baywater that values equity makes me feel respected and valued, which gives me greater job satisfaction.
