Network Homes hosts G15 women’s networking event
On Tuesday 17 May, the Network Homes Women’s Equality Group (WEG) hosted a networking event to bring together women who work for G15 housing associations. The event was an opportunity to welcome women into a safe space where they could feel comfortable sharing their experiences and be inspired alongside their peers.
Opening remarks
The event began with an introduction from Tabitha Kassem, Network’s Executive Director of Governance, Technology and Transformation. Tabitha shared an insightful statistic from a 2019 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study which found that 77% of the highest-achieving women have strong ties with an inner circle of two to three other women. The lowest-achieving women had a male-dominated network and weaker ties with other women in their network.
Tabitha emphasised that this event was a chance for attendees to build their own supportive inner circle. Gerry Doherty, Network Homes’ Executive Director of Customer Services and executive sponsor of WEG, followed Tabitha's introduction with some opening remarks. He reflected on public discussions on shared that for most of his professional life, he has been managed by women and strongly supports initiatives like WEG.
Superstar communication
The session then kicked into gear with an energetic guest speaker, Susan Heaton-Wright. Susan is a multi-award-winning global impact, communications and speaking trainer who empowers talented people to create memorable and engaging business conversations. She created the Superstar Communicator methodology: a 5-step system for speaking and communicating effectively.
In this workshop, she shared some of these communication tools to boost attendees’ listening, talking and body language skills. It was an engaging session which sparked laughter, reflection and learning. The rest of the afternoon consisted of several networking rotations around tables with varied discussion topics.
Feedback from attendees
G15 peers from Catalyst, Optivo, Southern Housing, MTVH, and L&Q attended, and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with attendees saying:
- “It was fantastic to see engaged and meaningful discussion and connections being made between women who had never met before the event”
- "I really enjoyed the Women's Networking Event! It was an invaluable opportunity to connect with so many great people and share our experiences. Susan's session on how to be a Superstar Communicator was extremely helpful - I will make sure to use the tips I learnt in my next meetings!"
- “It was a fantastic opportunity to meet women at varying levels of their careers in other housing associations as well as Network Homes that I would have not met otherwise. Susan's presentation on Superstar Communication was fantastic and not only made me rethink the ways I communicate and how to further improve it, but also helped kick off some great open conversations around anxiety and challenges other women are facing at work. Thank you WEG for organising!”
- “The event was well attended by Network Homes colleagues and other G15 colleagues and it was a great time to network, learn and laugh. The communications exercise was really good, and I hope we can all be superstar communicators following Susan’s session.”
Network’s Women’s Equality Group was established in March 2021 and has hosted several events for internal colleagues. Their events focus on providing networking opportunities and peer support, raising awareness and celebrating diversity, strategic input, building links to similar networks at other housing associations and external women’s networks.
WEG have set up a LinkedIn group for women working at G15 organisations to connect. You can join the group here.