Capacity will release interviews all week ahead of IWD 2024, on 8th March.
Nisha Marwaha, Director of DE&I at Virgin Media O2
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is “Inspire Inclusion”. What are you doing to inspire inclusion in telecoms?
We’re proud to support International Women’s Day, but, of course, our support of women, underpinned by the themes of inclusion and equity, are all year-round. At Virgin Media O2, we have a dedicated diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, All In, where we’ve set ambitions to increase representation of both women and those from Global Majority Groups across the organisation by the end of 2027, as part of our aim to become a more inclusive and equitable company.
To mark International Women’s Day, our internal Women’s Network, will be hosting a series of events for our people to celebrate the achievement of women.
What inspired you to join the telecoms industry? How has that initial inspiration impacted your career?
I’m currently the Director of DE&I at Virgin Media O2, but previously I was a lawyer working for Virgin Media before the company joined forces with O2. I’m proud to work in telecoms and in a sector that is fast changing and at the forefront of technology and innovation with so many opportunities to develop skills. At Virgin Media O2, my team and I are helping to create a culture of belonging – where people can come to work as their true selves and achieve their full potential.
What would be your advice to women considering a role in telecoms or looking to move up the corporate ladder?
We need women in telecoms and especially at senior levels to drive creativity and business success. Believe in yourself and your abilities, and that you can do the job that you want. I’d also recommend building a network of women in the industry – it’s a great way to learn from each other, to inspire one another, and to identify new opportunities.
Mark Redmond is chief people officer for Three UK & Ireland.
What are you doing to inspire inclusion in telecoms?
“Our Inclusion and Belonging policy aims to bring together Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion and Wellbeing in a unified strategy that welcomes everyone. I am a firm believer in the notion that measurement is crucial for change, so we have placed diversity measurement at the centre of this vision.
“We still have some way to go to reach our commitment to a 50/50 gender split in leadership roles at Three UK, but this target, and our pledge with Ofcom to improve gender diversity in our industry, have been key to driving our efforts in this area. Women now represent 34% of our leadership team and our median gender pay gap has reduced from 18.7% in 2021 to 10.9% in 2022.
“While there is still more for us to do, we are confident that the initiatives currently in place will continue to further reduce this gap. We are also committed to fostering a positive community and continually improving transparency through our Women at Three network, which is one of four groups within the company where like-minded colleagues can connect and share experiences. It features sub-groups for Parents and Carers and those experiencing Menopause to help employees navigate key life moments together.
“Our new people propositions were also designed with support in mind for employees at different stages in life. Our Menopause policy is a great example of this, encompassing more than just those experiencing Menopause themselves. Instead, it includes a manager guide, internal spotlighting of World Menopause Day and free access for all employees to Peppy, an app-based tool for those experiencing Menopause or supporting someone who is.”
“Externally, we sponsor and support a Women in STEMM summit, in association with Institute of Physics, London (UK) and Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) which aims to bring together top female scientific researchers with businesses focused on innovation.”
What inspired you to join the telecoms industry? How has that initial inspiration impacted your career?
Telecoms is very dynamic and I really enjoy the regularly changing, fast paced nature of the industry. Specifically with Three, our clear focus on having an engaging, inclusive and ambitious culture means that I get to work with great people, from all backgrounds and walks of life, to deliver meaningful results for our customers and employees.
What would be your advice to women considering a role in telecoms or looking to move up the corporate ladder?
For anyone considering a role in Telecoms or looking to move up the corporate ladder, I would see keeping skills relevant and up to date is important. But it’s also about working very collaboratively with others and always maintaining a focus on delivery, finding a way to get things done!
At Three, we have had a lot of success with our Graduate Programme, which provides hands-on experience, mentorship and personal development for newly graduated professionals across two years of structured rotations. We want to foster a mentality of “growing our own” talent and allowing people to develop within the business. We are expanding our Aspiring Managers programme in both our Office and Retail businesses to offer greater opportunities for growth within the business.
“We believe that our on-the-job mentoring and leadership initiatives at all levels will encourage more women to apply for different positions in the business and hopefully empower them to shape their own career path. We facilitate internal career moves within the business and encourage people to upskill in their jobs so that everyone can choose the best path for them.”
