IWD: The benefits of having a personal board of directors
In celebration of International Women’s Day, Entain’s director of corporate affairs Grainne Hurst shares her insight on the importance of group support within business to help women reach their full professional and personal potential
When I first joined this industry, over a decade ago, there were very few people who looked like me in senior positions. While I am delighted to say that has changed – especially with our own interim CEO at Entain, Stella David, leading the charge – it would have been almost impossible for me to succeed without my own personal board of directors (PBOD). Some PBODs may be able to grow and thrive organically but, for me, it was a long time before I secured mine.
The importance of inner circles
For many women, such groups are instrumental in helping them to excel within their chosen field and forte. But the problem is that without advertising, encouraging and promoting these opportunities, many women go through their career lacking the very thing that could help them achieve the best of their professional – and personal – selves.
For me, that is where Global Gaming Women came to the rescue. I was introduced to it by my amazing female mentor, Virginia McDowell, (chair of Entain’s sustainability and governance board committee) and the rest, as they say, is history.
I joined one of Global Gaming Women’s ‘Lean in Circles’, which facilitate a group of like-minded women to meet up once a month to discuss everything from the best books they have read to the best tactics for dealing with ‘gentlemen’ who may overstep the mark at times…and believe me, working in UK politics, sadly there have been several names I could add to that list.
These circles provide a safe space for women to discuss relevant topics that resonate with the group and inspire new ways of thinking, problem solving, generating ideas and celebrating each other’s similarities and differences. In essence, these women became my PBOD – and everyone (men and women) should have such a group.
I now co-chair the International Global Gaming Women (GGW) Committee, with a small but perfectly formed group of dedicated female volunteers (allies are always welcome) and we have been working together to spread the word in the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada about the positive benefits of networking with other women within the industry. The amount of camaraderie, joy, pride, friendship and advice I get from the group is second to none.
Why you need one
Why is it to so important? Because over 50% of women who were surveyed for a KPMG report concluded that networking was the single biggest element that would help them realise their professional potential. However, it is often not an easy issue to tackle, particularly for those of us who have to – or should I say, would like to – try and fit in the school run, caring duties, extra-curricular studies, improving our physical and mental health, to name but a few – on top of their day job. The beauty of the ‘Lean in Circles’ is that the group decides when is convenient to meet – physically or virtually.
I am delighted to also be a co-founder of the newly created Female Professional Network in the UK, established by Anna Davies at Metropolitan Casino, and Brigid Simmonds, chair of the Betting and Gaming Council, with the aim of supporting career progression, training and leadership in our sector.
At Entain, we are also amplifying the importance of colleague networks with several vibrant and energetic groups for women, black professionals and the LGBTQ+ community. In the UK, I am working with fellow female representatives to establish a ‘Female Professional Network’ that will meet quarterly to help inspire, encourage and promote younger generations of women in our industry to remain in it and achieve their full potential rather than looking elsewhere.
So, if you don’t have a PBOD yet, I encourage you to source a strong, inspiring, friendly, collaborative network – of men and women – who you can learn from and have some fun along the way.
If you would like to become a Global Gaming Women member (it’s free) please visit our website here.
Grainne Hurst is Entain’s director of corporate affairs, responsible for the company’s activities and relationships at the interface with governments and the public sector. She has worked in the gaming industry for 10 years and prior to that was a special advisor to the UK government, as well as working in other FTSE 100 companies and communication agencies. Hurst is co-chair of Global Gaming Women’s International Committee and is passionate about increasing the number of women in the industry.