Inspirational Women – Rachel Engel, Regional Head, Macquarie Group Foundation, EMEA

How did you get to where you are today?
The Northern Line…seriously, I was lucky enough to have had a privileged upbringing and chose a career where I would be able to give back and try not to take anything for granted. I have only chosen roles which I can grow and more importantly, which I really enjoyed. Working in businesses where the culture works for me. I think I have also taken a few risks with different roles, jumped on opportunities which have come my way, always been true to myself and tried to bring humour (where appropriate) into all that I do.

What barriers do women face in particular along the career path you’ve chosen?
If we consider the CSR sector I feel we are actually one profession where women seem to outweigh the men. However, depending on the industry, I think the same rules apply in terms of the barriers with women in the workplace such as; gender pay gap, flexible working, inequality and the glass ceiling.

How/have you been able to challenge these barriers?
In my career, I’ve always tried to bring my whole self to work – countering any challenges I may face head on. In my experience, women today are more aware of the issues facing them in the workplace and many businesses are attempting to address these issues. I sit on the Pride at Macquarie Steering group to help support the LGBTQ community within the business and always support the Macquarie Balance (gender) network events where I can. I feel that by active participation you can raise awareness and engage people on these agendas to help tackle the issues directly.

What does Women’s Day mean to you and why is it important?
To me, this year feels like something of a turning point as  the ‘Press for Progress’ message seems to tie into the #metoo #heforshe, #womensmarch and the TimesUp campaigns which have gained huge profile around the world. Sadly, it’s taken countless harassment charges to really bring women’s voices on this issue to the forefront. It’s important for women to stick together and this year I am really feeling that because of these high profile campaigns, the “equality” message is being amplified by our collective voices.