Take a Chance

Let's start with something really easy. So who are you? What do you do? In my day job, I am a commercial advisor for the NHS, predominantly for the acute hospitals. I work with their commercial teams to advise best practice, advise best routes to market. And at the moment, with the new legislation about to be launched end of February, and the fact that it's year end, it's quite full on for them, I think.
It's a busy time for our colleagues within the NHS procurement and supply chain world. So that is my day job. I work across the North Yorkshire and South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and Northeast. That is my patch. So it's quite a big patch with quite a lot of our colleagues in that mix. I'm also chair of the HCSA Women's Network, which was established in 2023. and we wonderfully achieved an award within the first year so we were all very very thrilled about that it's just been an amazing team effort I think with the support from the HCSA allyship colleagues as well so it's been really brilliant.
We've had a couple of events to date which you know because you've been one you've been our inspirational speaker which has been gone down exceptionally well and I think what what is what is making a difference within the NHS environment is we go to lots of conferences, we go to lots of meetings, but it's a, it's invariably a listening and educational process. Whereas what we're trying to achieve within the women's network within the HCSA is a self development and advancement and growing and learning and finding your tribe within your network, really.
And that's what I do.

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When you just said, you talked about the award and you said wonderfully, you lit up. What was so wonderful about the award? I think the fact that there was some hesitancy about setting up an HCSA women's network, the HCSA in the past, and I'm not saying that's currently because it has changed, it's transformed over the last two years in itself. I think old days it was considered to be probably an old boys club and it's now not.
It's a very, very inclusive and we are working towards equality and diversity within our HCSA family. And I think the very fact that we've developed a women's network and the success that we've had and the feedback has been phenomenal. I mean, it has been, it makes me have goosebumps some of the feedback that you read that how much it's inspired others and how much it's literally lifted them and made them think differently, that they should be thinking about themselves instead of others for a change, about developing themselves, about building their networks and helping themselves grow with the help of others and keeping that ladder down for others.
Invariably across my career, and I certainly have seen it across others, and in both sectors, I've worked work private sector and public sector. There's an element of keeping that ladder up because there's a threat, perceived threat. Normally you'd expect to embrace someone that brings with them energy and skills and knowledge to transform your own business or grow your own business or make your own world a little bit more successful. But unfortunately that isn't in human nature sometimes and I found that the women's network within the first 12 months we achieved so much and the support has been phenomenal just not just within the NHS and the supply chain but within us our providers and our suppliers they're so keen to get on board because they see the energy they see how successful it's been they see the value and I think that has and when we got the award I was like wow wow

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That is just, you know, 12 months of working hard and engaging with people and extending, you know, across the map. It's been just brilliant. So I can't wait for our event this year. What brought you to do it? Because you explained what sounds like quite a big and busy day job. What inspired you to want to be part of the network and start the network? Well, it wasn't even a thought for me initially.
I didn't even, I was approached. the chief exec of HCSA and our SRO for the network, Clara Pinal, it was almost like a pincer movement one evening at a conference, winter conference I think it was, and I was approached to see if I would consider leading and driving the network and launching it for the HCSA. And I have quite a high energy level as people that meet me and know me. I'm quite energetic and it's like, despite having a busy desk, the more you give me the better I perform better.
It's just my nature. I like to keep extremely busy. So when they asked me to do it, I felt, number one, I went into that unknown phenomenon called the imposter syndrome. Why me? What on earth have I got? that you feel I could bring to the table but I think I have drive and enthusiasm and I value helping others to identify what it is they're looking for. I value being able to offer support and sometimes my advice works and other times I'll find someone else that's got better advice than me because I'm not the subject matter expert at the time and I think I'm quite

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I'm quite adept at networking myself. I find it really valuable to have a wide network because I don't know everything. We all don't know everything. But if you have a good solid wide network of like minded colleagues, you can always find someone that knows what it is that you're looking for. Someone may come to me and say, they call me TC. TC, do you know where I could do this? Or TC, do you know anyone in this environment? but I know a man or a woman that does and I can find out for you.
And I think that's really useful and I think it's helpful to help others develop, expand and grow their own networks and knowledge. And I'd love to see people thrive. I think it's just an amazing thing to watch our young up and coming, excuse me. procurement colleagues come in at entry level and see their growth and see how they're being challenged. It is a challenging environment in the NHS because we've always got to do a lot more with less.
You know the funding is always quite challenging within the procurement world. And you've got to kind of learn how to tap dance around all of the rules, the regulations and the restrictions that are imposed. So yes, that's and then when. you know, getting getting the opportunity to do this. The Women's Network was daunting at first, but once it's like a rolling stone gathers no moss. So you've just got to once that snowball effect, you know, the little snowball ended up being this huge boulder as it came to the first winter conference that Women's Network were at present at, and then to achieve the President's Award was I just, I was speechless on the night because I just couldn't believe that we had done such a phenomenal job as a team and I think that was really rewarding.
I think for all of us, we have a lovely committee of about 20 of us and you know we all try and do our very best to input, support, mentor, we sort of don't mentor in any kind of formal way.

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but we mentor in a kind of reach out and I can give you some advice, I could guide you, I can give you pointers or I can point you in the right direction, I can connect you to the right person that can give you that foundation that you're looking for. Those people listening that are not familiar, just tell us a little bit more about what HCSA is. The Healthcare Supply Association is a body that is a charity, but it's a body that supports all of our NHS procurement and supply chain colleagues.
We have a really wealth, a huge wealth of learning and development tools and the courses and access to. It also supports a young leadership program, so we help to grow and develop. educate our future leaders, because we have a future leaders group, who by the way, are also going to be involved in joining the women's network and working with us and supporting us. And we also have a personal development programme for young entry levels, not just entry levels, but younger and, you know, newer to NHS procurement, colleagues and and it's an in-house week-long programme where it's a huge educational programme and learning and development across there.
We also have the biggest conference in November each year, we call it our annual conference, that brings together all of our procurement and supply chain colleagues across the national grid. I think we look to have around about eight, nine hundred delegates across the two or three days that we're all together. And it's an opportunity to showcase great work that's going on in the NHS and supply chain. I think it's an opportunity to educate as well.
We bring people from outside the NHS to talk to us about how it works in private sector and how that can work together with us. We have suppliers and med tech suppliers. talking to us about what's new, what's coming down the track, we get updates from the centre, from NHS England, so the reach is really big, it's really huge and we're in Northern Ireland, we're in Wales, we're in Scotland, you know we have colleagues across all of the devolved nations as well, so it's a real brilliant opportunity with the HCSA to promote, support and lift our procurement and supply chain colleagues in the NHS network.

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And what would your advice be for anyone that's thinking about starting a women's network in their organisation? What are some of the top tips you could share? What works? What doesn't work? And I'm sure it hasn't been easy. I think what works is having a good team around you. Everyone, you know, not everyone was available or has the time or the inclination sometimes to be involved and get on board. I think it's having a good team finding those people that can enable an action.
Because I think without that, and without being totally passionate about it, it will fall flat. If you're not driven and passionate about what you're doing, it's going to stop within a couple of weeks, you'll lose it just kind of peters out and drops off the cliff. And I find that if I'm I'm super passionate about raising women and inspiring those around me and the young allies that I have in our team here at NHS Shared Business Services.
So I really think it's important that you've got people that are action driven. You also have people who are able to support. Not everybody wants to get up there and speak and be in the public eye, but you've got others that will work really hard to help you achieve that and enable that. So having a great committee has been very helpful. And I think having the drive and I think also having a great understanding of what it is that you want to achieve.
Now, if you haven't got a clue, you know, I find that really difficult.

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But having an absolute, these are our aims for the next three years, how are we going to achieve that? Building, I mean, we initially built a 12 month strategy and a plan. And then we built the next 12 month on the back of the success that we had had in year one, we built then the next year's strategy. Now we're talking about a three year strategy, this year, 2025, which is you kind of sit there and go that's a little bit mind-blowing seeing as we've only been going for the last couple of years but it's having that plan building that and what is it that people want you can go and talk to people and and that if they don't want it they're not going to listen to it or hear it or do anything about it and i think the way we have set ourselves up as a women's network is we are quite unique i think it our events are unique in that it's not the same as they've had experienced before.
It's all around self development, they feel like they get so much out of it, and they walk out of the room. I mean, some people will walk into a room and feel I'm not sure why I'm here, actually, but I'm going to listen anyway. But they've left the majority, I would say probably 85 90% of the feedback has been walked in not knowing what

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it is that we wanted to get out of the Women's Network walked out feeling I want to be up to my ears involved in this. And the response has been really wonderful and so welcome, I must admit, because it is daunting when you start off a new network. And I think you've got to be current, you've got to be tackling issues that are hard to talk about. I've always encouraged people to talk about the things that In the workplace people find difficult but when you go to work, for instance, menopause doesn't stop at eight o'clock in the morning and then kick back off at six o'clock at night when you get home.
Menopause affects you all day long and it's a 24-7 and it doesn't just impact yourself or women and this is one of the things I find quite amazing is it affects the men in your life. because when the dragon comes through the front door and the man's in the house, he's probably sitting there going, Oh my goodness, what am I going to get tonight? It affects your family, it affects your friends, it affects, sometimes it affects your activities.
So I'm really keen to talk about all of those taboo subjects. And I think the other, the other things that we want to start to build this year is talk about what does loss mean to anyone? Everyone thinks that loss is is perhaps losing family is challenging. I know I've lost family members myself. But what does miscarriage mean to a woman? Because it's huge. And no one, you know, everyone thinks that, you know, in a couple of weeks, oh, she'll bounce back, she'll be back at work, this, that and the other.
But what does that mean to the partner? It means a lot. So these are the kinds of subjects that we want to talk about. We want to talk about women's health, men's health.

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lifting, educating, driving, changing, transforming and inspiring those in our network. Amazing. Amazing stuff, Tracey. Where does it all come from? You said earlier that you have such a passion for uplifting women. Where has that come from? It's come from probably in the early 80s when I started working. It was an entirely different world. And I also lived in South Africa when I started my career. Again, an entirely different world, extremely male dominated, quite a chauvinistic society, big business.
So I worked for large multinationals, and of whom they'd fly in their team from the US Fifth Avenue. Every one of them would be a man predominant and all of them were white men. And it was those huge egos in a room. And you're sitting around this boardroom table taking, well, making coffee, taking minutes and such like, because you will never begin to be sitting around that table as someone that's going to give input to the meetings.
But I think that, you know, having started my career in a very male-driven business world, and also It was challenging, should I say, because it's uncomfortable sometimes having those conversations because it's not, you know, the physical activities that go on in the workplace that are inappropriate used to go on and you're uncomfortable as a young 20 year old, you're sitting there going, Oh my goodness, what do I do? I've just started this job.
Do I shut up? And I'm not normally very good at shutting ups. Even as a young woman, I was never good at shutting up. But it was It's those types of things I want to change. That's what inspires me. That's what drives me. It's having had that career in that early way back when, I mean, you know, we have moved on, but not everywhere has moved on. Not all things have moved on.
We didn't wave a wand between 1980s to today. And it all disappeared because that I'd be lying if that was the case. We'd be living in Nirvana now if that was the case. But I used to see people compromised, either physically compromised or growth compromised. They were put in a box and you're never going to get out of that box. You're going to be there till whenever. And I just find that stifling and suffocating and I don't appreciate that because I don't think it helps the business.
It doesn't help the person for one. and it certainly doesn't help the business and if it gets out can't possibly help your reputation any better as well. And I also grew up with my dad working in a very man's world environment, he worked in the earth moving industry, so it was all big machinery, big earth moving equipment, the likes of Caterpillar, Komatsu, JCB. So our social life and our social world was full of these big characters, predominantly men.
And the women used to be at home. They didn't work, they'd have coffee mornings and this and that and the other. And I kind of thought, this isn't what I want. This is definitely not, I won't be doing the knitting and the coffee mornings and the sitting at home. I just got so much that I would like to do. And I think coming through that, and working through different

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scenarios and different companies. I once worked for, and it was only here that things back here in the UK, when I came back 20 odd years ago, I worked for a company, telecoms company. And the boss there said, he says, you're wasted as a, as my PA. So he gave me a national role, which was amazing. He elevated me to a national role and said, come on you've got more than enough energy to do this and we had a 750 strong team national team that we were managing business accounts so it was the telecoms into businesses rather than the telecoms into your home etc and that was the start of it really I thought someone actually believed that I can do better so I wasn't I was actually coordinating a national team it was it was really fabulous And then I've had a number of jobs and sort of things since then, clearly, in private sector.
But one of my most inspirational bosses is an Italian man called, everyone calls him Giovanni, but he calls himself Jim. And he actually promoted me when I started working for him. He had been working, looking for someone to support him from a business support perspective. for 10 months interviewed literally scores of people so I took I went for the interview and he was I will never forget this he was standing on the second floor of the building with his phone in his hand and I was walking to my car and I just got the key in the car and my phone rang and he said I need you to start tomorrow I said, I can't start tomorrow.
I'm working for someone. At the time I was working on a temp assignment. I said, I can't just walk out of there. I'll need to make arrangements and I'll see if I can start on Monday. And I started on the Monday as a business support officer. And within the first 12 months, he promoted me to their purchasing manager for a manufacturing engineering company. again attached to the earth moving industry, building the big tracks that these earth moving equipment runs on.
And so I was working across Italy and I was working across Europe and I was keeping customers extremely happy, making sure that that all happens. So I've had some, and they're men. So people think, oh, you wanna promote? Well, we wanna make sure everyone gets the opportunity.

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to grow and develop and be successful. And I think working my way through my career, having had all of those different experiences, and having been given the opportunity that someone puts faith in you that you're capable, and I think it's just such an amazing feeling. So why wouldn't I want to share that and see that happen with other people? I think it's just so important that people feel valued, they feel that their skills are utilised. because sometimes I think we underutilise the people around us because we don't know what they're capable of, because we don't take time out to find out what they're capable of.
So that to me is probably some of the happenings and events and occurrences across my working life that's really made me feel capable, able, valued. Why wouldn't we want to share those things and help others to feel the same way? I love listening to you.

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I am wondering a couple of things. I feel like my question right now should be something around male allies or male sponsors, because you've clearly had some male sponsors who've really supported your career. But I also go back to that earlier point when you said, I was asked to run the Women's Network and I had imposter syndrome. And I think to myself, how the heck, can this woman have imposter syndrome, having heard all that you've just told me.
And I can see you at this young woman, you know, looking at this potential future of coffee mornings and knitting, going, this isn't for me. So you're clearly highly talented, and high energy. And you've got really strong morals and values about what's important. That's why you got the jobs you got, my view, because of those things. And I think that we need to somehow start instilling in ourselves at 50 something or 60 something, 20 something, 11, that we're brilliant and capable of doing these things.
And because not everybody's going to get asked, not everybody's going to get talent spotted. And I remember the first talk I did at your conference was on imposter syndrome. I'm finding it increasingly annoying that people keep talking about it and keep like, you know, like you say to a room of women, raise your hand if you have imposter syndrome, which I don't do anymore, but I mean, like they're all, you know, got their hand up.
So why, oh, why are we still? Because imposter syndrome is systemic. You talked about growing up in South Africa and the culture of how you grew up and what you were exposed to and the fact that there were so few female role models, that's why you've got imposter syndrome, not because there's anything wrong with you or you're not capable of doing an amazing job. So what do we need to do about imposter syndrome?
Or if anyone is listening saying, well, yeah, I have imposter syndrome, what's your message? I think it has to be removed from like you were saying.

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from cradle to earlier let's do it earlier let's work with our children stop stopping them wanting to do things i see sometimes oh you can't do that you can do that or she can do that try it's like my granddaughter the other day was stood on our our couch in the in the lounge and she's tried for a while and she's to work a yo-yo and she gets frustrated because it just won't work and then she throws it down and walks away.
She's only four. Last weekend she stood on the couch and grandpa stood with her moving her hand up and down and up and down and this little yo-yo's light was working and working. The look on her face at doing it, it happened. She's now capable. Great success. If I could have captured that little face when that little yo-yo was going up and down in her own hands without any support from her grandpa.
That's what we should share. That's where you start. Start young. Stop telling these young kids don't do that, try that, don't do this, you can't, it's too dangerous. Don't go zip wiring because you're only four. Do go zip wiring. You'll be harnessed in and somebody will be there to catch you at the other side. And that's what I keep thinking, stop doing those things. I think it's all that you can't do that, stop doing that, you'll hurt yourself.
We try and wrap our children, boys and girls, up in cotton wool instead of enabling them and encouraging them to take that chance, take that chance and see what will happen, like the yo-yo. I mean, that is just the simplest story, but that's what we should do through life.

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Take that chance. You are capable. If you don't actually, for instance, we know the statistics, 66% of men will try and apply for a job because they've only got 66% of the whatever qualifications, but they'll put it in. 100% of the men will put their application in, even though they only match the job description, 66%. Women have to be 99.9%. matching before they'll even give it a go. Take the chance. Gee whiz, you know, it's like that old saying, reach for the moon.
If you missed, you're still gonna land amongst the stars. Why would we not want to just grab ourselves and give it a go? And that's what I think we need to do. And I think that when I was a younger child, don't do this, don't do this, don't do that. But things did change. My mom was quite inspirational to me. My dad is quite encouraging too. In that, you know, we lived in Africa from I was seven.
I've lived in Zambia and Malawi and South Africa. Try it, you know. We see witchetty grubs on the Ant and Dec’s program. I've eaten them when I was a kid. with our local people that cook them. And you know, take a chance. If you don't try it, you don't know what to expect. People don't eat things because it looks weird. They don't do things because they're afraid. Well, if you don't grab yourself by the seat of your own pants, no one's gonna do it for you.
And that's what I think we should be doing, encouraging people to take that leap of faith. Someone's gonna catch you when you think you're going to fall. and stand you up and tell you, get back on the horse and stop doubting yourself. And I think we need to encourage it younger. And I think also within business, I always think if you can give people more responsibilities that they're asking for, they'll only fall if you're not supporting them.
If you're not giving them the tools to grow and be successful. We need to enable them, tool them up and support them going forward.

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let's see what we can achieve. I feel like I would love for you to move in with me. I'm not sure my husband would agree with you. Or maybe I just might like play that little clip to myself every day because it makes such a difference when we hear these kind of messages and I think I'm going to say it's I think it's true for everyone but I'm going to say especially in larger organizations like yours and like you know where people are day in day out fairly risk averse I think you know when it comes to sort of taking a chance and applying for that job and it's sort of down to the person to find it in themselves to do it but you know having people like you and having that part of being a leader that we are not only thinking about ourselves but we are actively thinking about the people around us and encouraging them to do things that they might think they're not quite ready for or they think they don't have all the skills for.
That's happened to you in your career and it's happened to me in mine and it's such an amazing thing and I think it's a skill set that a lot of people have yet to learn. And when they do, they will not only realise that it's beneficial to that other person, but it's beneficial to them as well, because you're getting a more productive person, a more motivated person, a more enthusiastic person. And I'm going to say especially for women, because we're still seeing that it's going to, what is it that they're saying right now, the UN, that it's going to be five generations before we've got true equality so nobody's willing to wait for that and these kind of small daily actions are the actions in my view that make a difference.

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It doesn't cost anything doesn't cost anything to be encouraging and uplifting. But you know, you also got to feel it yourself, haven't you? And if you're in an organization where you're sort of feeling dragged down, that's quite difficult to do. So you know, what's your advice for people that maybe do not have the energy levels or reserves that you have, they might be listening going, I'd love to be more like that, but I'm exhausted.
I think there's there's so many tools out there. You know, this vehicle, for instance, podcasts, find your role model. There is someone out there if your network is very small, expand it till you find that person that you really are would would be great to be. That's the person I'm aspiring to be. Or that's the person who has the qualities that I want to develop or there is a role model there in the network for you.
And like I've said, find your tribe. It may not be in your own workplace. So expand your vision, expand your horizon, find your tribe, find your person that can help you and support you. I have a number of colleagues across the network. I don't officially mentor them, but I'm a fabulous little reach out agent. Pop a message into my teams. If you need something or you want to talk about something, have a coffee.
It takes 10 minutes. Have a cup of coffee, take a break and have a conversation. Have that conversation. It's really hard I think in the environment that we work in in the NHS because it's a huge organization and we are all super busy and everybody's got their priorities and they've got targets and they've got a workload that's second to none. And it's quite challenging times with legislation changing and the funding, it is very challenging.
And it is sometimes hard to see, you know, the wood for the trees because it's just so it's overwhelmingly busy, especially now this time of year. But take a break, stop beating yourself up, sit back and inhale and exhale. That's all you need to do is just think about it.

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And I think we should be, there's a million and one fabulous resources out there. There's some great books. There's amazing podcasts out there of all descriptions that suit others more than, you know, there's something out there for everyone that will hit the mark. And I'm really, I'm a avid reader. I also have a, I think you've also got to think, expand your network outside of work too, you know. I'm in a panto next month, for some crazy reason.
What character are you? Well, up until a week ago, I was the parrot, because we're doing Treasure Island. And now I'm the chair of the Women's Institute. That makes sense, in some way. Yeah, so there you go. So but I think do other things that also might go to gym that expands your network. Don't think that everybody in gym that they don't want to have a conversation because somebody might want to have a conversation.
And you never know. Hi, fancy a cuppa or Hi, how are you doing today can change a million and one people's lives because it's again expanding your network to outside of work as well. And I think it is hard.

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because you get to work and you're on a treadmill and you're on this little hamster's wheel and you're working your tail off, but in the health sector, there's still emergencies and there's still priorities, the flaming balls that come over the wall that you can't ignore because at the end of the day, the environment that we work in is saving lives. So you can't say, hang on a minute, I'm having a crisis. or hang on a minute, I've got too much to do.
You have to, it is quite reactive, as well as, you know, your day job. So I am always of the opinion that there's something out there for everybody. Check what resources are available to you to help you, you know, also look after yourself, be kind to yourself. Can't do a good day's work if you're already mentally not in the right place.

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physically struggling. And you can't do all of those things if you're not looking after yourself. Can't look after others if you're not 100%. Final piece of advice for anyone listening, Tracey, final thought? Reach for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars. I love that. Thank you so much. And you are going to be speaking at the Aspire Phoenix Take Flight conference in a few weeks on March 3rd and 4th.
And you're coming for the whole day. Yay. So I'm really looking forward to that. And that's going to also expand your network even more because it's going to be some more people for you to meet and for them to meet you. I think you're going to garner a lot of fans. And thank you so much. Amazing. I'm inspired, I'm energised. I really hear so much that you have led this network but the drive that you have to not only lead but make it happen and make it happen sustainable in a sustainable way for it to go on now for years and I'm sure this will be a legacy for you for years and years to come.
So congratulations on all that you've done and I look forward to seeing you soon. Thank you very much. Who knows, your knickers might get caught on a stick. There you go. Take that leap and you'll be caught somehow.

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