Women in FCERM - Who are we? Why is it important? What are we doing to make a difference?

We are a networking group of professionals set up to support and connect women working across the flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) sector. We are focussed on women and those who line-manage them, but membership is open to all.

Why does gender matter?

The vast majority of individuals leading our sector are men. The recent gender pay gap reports highlight this. Women are represented at more junior levels but this has been the case for some time and gender equality is still not improving in senior roles. There is no clear picture of what the blockers are or how to address them.

Numerous reports explain the benefits of gender diversity at every level in our organisations. Key amongst these are: reduced turnover and increased engagement / performance as employees report higher job satisfaction levels; improved reputation attracting customers and new talent; true representation of your customer base; and a wider talent pool from which to draw. The government has recognised this and has made tackling the gender pay gap a key part of its Industrial Strategy.

What are our goals?

We have three priorities for our first year:

• Networking: Being in a minority means fewer opportunities to meet female peers from whom one can seek support and learn. We’re planning forums where people can meet others in a similar situation, share their experiences, talk about the issues, network and form supportive connections. We aim to hold two networking events in each of our four hub locations in year one.
• Mentoring: This is an essential part of career development and is already offered by most companies and organisations. There are though wider benefits from cross-organisational mentoring which may be important in empowering women and addressing confidence and development issues. We will explore how best to deliver this.
• Clarifying ambition beyond year one: There are many established initiatives similar to Women in FCERM. It clear there is a gap but we need to know more from our members and from other groups before we can be sure what that gap is. Over our first 12 months we will work out the scale and ambition of our longer-term offer along with making decisions about how best to manage and fund the initiative in the future.

How can you find out more?

Join us on LinkedIn or Twitter or contact one of our leads:

·        Clare Dinnis: clare.dinnis@environment-agency.gov.uk

·        Fay Bull: North hub lead – fay.bull@aecom.com 

·        Samantha Daly: South East hub lead – samantha.daly@jacobs.com

·        Emily Craig: South West hub lead – emily.craig@rhdv.com

·        Rachel Walters & Hannah Burgess: Midlands hub leads – rachel.walters@environment-agency.gov.uk and hannah.burgess@jbaconsulting.com