TGt Meets...Fiona Scott, IWD Special

To celebrate International Women's Day, we interviewed some of our most influential partners to share with you all about what IWD means to them. Take a look below to find out what Fiona Scott, from Fiona Scott Media Consultancy, had to say about International Women's Day...

Name: Fiona Scott

Location: Crowood House, Gypsy Lane, Swindon, SN2 8YY

Occupation: Journalist and media consultant.

Which woman would you compare yourself to?

None. I aspire to be the best version of myself. I admire many women across many aspects of life and I only compare myself to the Fiona of yesterday, last month, last year, last decade, last century.

What would you say is your most valuable skill and why?

A true and deep empathy with people – I love hearing their stories, finding out what makes them tick and where appropriate sharing those stories. While some might say I’m nosey (I am!) I am a storyteller.

Why do you think it's important to have an International Women's Day?

Women like it or not, still do not have parity in terms of representation across the media as experts – they are more likely to be victims. Women are poorly represented in various sectors such as construction and engineering and women often accept the second class status in all walks of life often because of caring responsibilities. Women have to change this and be the change they want to see in the world. In my case, as I didn’t find my life partner until I was the mid 30s, I often used to be called ‘a career girl’ because I wasn’t married or didn’t have children. As though that somehow made me ‘less’ or it somehow meant I could not have it ‘all’. Bugger that. I want it all. No one says to a man ‘oh yes well you’re a career guy’? Do they?

How do you maintain a work/life balance?

By just having a life balance – these are the important things in my life and these are the priorities I choose from those things. Those priorities will change over time as I move through life.

Do you ever experience any discrimination in the workplace because of your gender?

Not now as far as I know – and that can be the problem – how do we know that we’ve been overlooked or passed over due to gender? Often we won’t. People are too savvy to say that out loud any more. However, it’s very real. I have been a female doing a similar role to a male and being paid £10K a year less in the past and when I challenged it (with the support of the male concerned) my character was picked apart as though this part of me wasn’t worth as much as that part of him. Now I charge for my services and that’s that. In my world now, the gender side of things plays much less of a role and if it does, it’s usually because I’ve allowed that to happen and it’s up to me to change it.

Based on your own experiences, what advice would you give to fellow females looking to get into your profession?

Be passionate, don’t give up. The media is a difficult industry to get into however most people don’t put in the effort required to open that door. If it takes 100 failures to get one success – start on those failures right now.

If you could have dinner with 5 inspirational women dead or alive, who would they be and why?

Dr Alison Rellos – my sister, my friend, the strongest woman I know and the most inspirational. Luckily I do get to have dinner with her and she inspires me.

Lis McDermott – local author and friend who is just badass and has banned words like ‘retirement’ and ‘settling down’. I aspire to be like her.

Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand Prime Minister – speaking sense and compassion in a world gone mad.

Michelle Obama – a woman who seems to have stepped into her power and who rocked being the First Woman and beyond.

Ainslie Duffell – my friend who passed away from cancer in 2015 so I could tell her how much she’s still missed, that we have worked hard to create a living legacy and that her son is one of the most wonderful, kind, clever and beautiful human beings.

As a successful female, where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

Doing the same perhaps with a book or two out in my name, passing the ladder back down, spending time with my hubby doing the things we love to do and not being retired or put out to grass. I want to be doing ‘stuff’, celebrating Swindon, doing radio, tv, writing stories for me and for others who I care about and believe in. No invisibility for me! I intend to join the blue rinse brigade loudly and proudly and also to get more tattoos done. I had one done when I was 30, another when 40 and will have another before I’m 60.

Find out more about Fiona Scott here.