KERRY CAMERON, 32, operations consultant at McDonald’s and mother of two. “I started as a 16 year old working on the till, while I was at college. The flexible shifts were great when I went on to do hospitality and business management at Leeds University.

“I knew it was possible to advance because of the standard of training in the company and its structure. In 2007 I took on one of the busiest and most challenging restaurants in the Trafford Centre in Manchester and we managed to win the restaurant of the year title the next year. You can’t beat the people at McDonald’s. It’s the nature of our business to be welcoming.

“I am now in charge of nine stores and 650 people. My goal is to be an operations manager responsible for 50 outlets. I see the same passion and drive in people joining the company. You have to be confident and focused. It’s important to have something to aim for. My advice is to look for a company that invests in training and development.”
JENNY KNIGHT

RUBY MCGREGORSMITH, 46, chief executive, MITIE Group. “I qualified as a chartered accountant at BDO. I joined Cerco, where I had a number of financial and corporate development roles until I left in 2000. I joined MITIE in 2002 as chief financial officer, became chief operating officer in 2005 and then chief executive in 2007.”

“If I look at the highlights of my career, every one has been around helping to grow a group where I really love the people and feeling fantastic about the achievements my people make around me.

“In terms of advice, all I have ever said to people is work incredibly hard, be very driven, love what you do, be passionate about what you do and you will succeed. And have an absolute belief that you can succeed.

“Women at certain stages in their career, particularly when they have young children, can have a real loss of confidence about what they can do. And they don’t need to have that.”
JENNIFER TAYLOR

SANDRA HUMPHREY, a partner at Addleshaw Goddard, the law firm, and head of its Leeds infrastructure, projects and energy team. “I knew from the age of 14 that I wanted to be a lawyer but I have always been a passionate closet scientist as well.

“A year ago I got to exercise that part of my brain when I took advantage of the firm’s sabbatical scheme, which allows partners to take three months of paid leave after ten years’ service. I went to a science summer school at the University of Cambridge, where I studied particle physics, cosmology and string theory. While there I found out about a disused mine in the North East where scientists are looking for dark matter; I was lucky enough to be able to visit and when I was there I met someone who had opened up new business opportunities.

“That’s one of the reasons why I encourage all of my team to cultivate outside interests — having a broad range of interests and contacts can be valuable for the firm.
CARLY CHYNOWETH

EMMA FOX, 41, the commercial director at Asda, the supermarket. “My first job was as a graduate trainee at Bass, where I became a wine buyer. At 23 I was trotting around the globe to Chile, Argentina and Australia learning all about wine. It was fantastic and really brought me on professionally because I was having to hold my own working with senior business owners.

“After nine or ten years I wanted to do true gritty retail ... to join a supermarket and work with food, which is when I joined Asda. Ten years later, I’m still here.

“I got my first director-level position in 2003. It was in logistics and operations, which I had never done before; it was a great example of them taking a risk on me. I was 12 weeks pregnant with my second child . . . they just said come back after six months [maternity leave] and it will be fine.

“Since then I have had a third child but I have also done a range of jobs that have stretched and developed me.”
CARLY CHYNOWETH

SIAN BALDWIN, 31, is BT’s director of broadband and content services. “I love the way my role is at the cutting edge of what we are doing in BT. I’m responsible for our £300 million broadband business, so I have a broad set of responsibilities from financial management to product innovation to managing customers to selling our products.

“My advice is to move around as much as you can. Many women stay in their jobs too long early in their careers because of loyalty, because they are good at what they do, or because they lack the confidence to take a new job. And many women still shy away from technical jobs, whereas I see men take the job and work it out as they go.

“You should not be afraid to take on technical or engineering management jobs, even if you have no technical background. If you are bright and can build strong teams then you can shine — in fact you can offer a breath of fresh air in terms of perspective and innovative thinking.”
FAY SCHOPEN

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