TGtS Meets...Alix Young - International Women's Day Special

A former radio journalist and news editor, Alix Young decided to take a new direction in life and is now the manager of The Pear Tree at Purton. Alix chatted to us about her varied career and taking over the family business.

Which woman would you compare yourself to?

I would love to be compared with my mum. She’s a formidable force and a woman I very much admire. She's been the driving force behind The Pear Tree since it was set up by her and my father in 1987 and continues to lead the company in a very hands-on way. Now that we work together on a daily basis, it’s bought a different slant to our relationship but I can see the skills she possesses that I would love to have one day.

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

My time and training as a journalist has taught me to be adaptable and to know a little bit about a lot of things. I used to have to cover a story on bin collections one day and abandoned puppies the next. While life in a hotel is maybe not quite the same, the days can be almost as varied and you have to be able to strike up conversation with just about anyone about just about anything.

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

It’s easy to forget that while most women in the UK pretty much have equality with men, there are many places across the world where this isn’t the case. Giving everyone the chance to think about how they can make a difference to this, even on just one day a year, can hopefully help to improve things.

Do you have family (and/or children)? How do you maintain a work/life balance?

I’ve been married for almost two years now and have been lucky to work with my husband for most of our life together. We met at work and he now works with me at the hotel. This can mean it’s tough to separate work from personal life but we’re both passionate about what we do and some of our best ideas can come from discussions outside of work. I do take time out every week to help at a local Rainbow group (the younger Brownies). Girl Guiding was something that helped me a lot when I was younger and to have that time every week to help the next generation means a lot to me.

Have you ever had to give up or miss out on anything in order to pursue your career?

I don’t think I’ve ever been in the position where I have had to give up anything to pursue my career. I believe a lot in fate and ‘what will be will be’, meaning I’ve always embraced every opportunity that’s come my way – thinking that I wouldn’t have been given the opportunity if I wasn’t supposed to take it. Moving back to Swindon to take on the family business was a big risk but I’d always rather regret the things I did do, rather than the things I didn’t do.

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

Luckily no. Although I’m a pretty vocal person so I don’t think anyone would even try it! Both journalism and hotel management can be seen as traditionally male industries but I think that’s always worked in my favour. I can provide something a bit different and bring my own qualities to the role.

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

Compared to when my mum started out in the industry, the world is a very different place. Doors are so much more open now and I think if you just work hard and make the effort to meet the right people then you can do anything. But you do have to be prepared to work for it.

Do men ever feel intimidated by your success?

I’d hope not. I’ve met a few men over the years who still struggle to have a woman as a manager but that’s always been their problem not mine. I still treat them as I would treat anyone and expect the same from them.

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

• My mum - I eat dinner with her quite a few nights a week anyway so it wouldn’t be that strange!
• Sybil Leacock - not a name you’d recognise, but she’s someone my parents met when they worked in Barbados in the early 80s. She set up her own private school when she was 18 which is still going strong and has fostered scores of young people over the years.
• Maria Williams - the only one of the five who’s no longer with us. She’s my great great grandmother on my mum’s side. She’s most well known around the hotel as the name of the room at the far end of the first floor but she also ran her own hotel in Bloomsbury and bought up 8 children as a single mother.
• Queen Noor of Jordan - my parents worked for the Jordanian royal family before I was born and have wonderful things to say about Queen Noor. She seems to be an amazing role model in a part of the world where women are often under represented.
• Cherie Blair - controversial I know, but growing up as a teenager in the last 90s/early 00s she always struck me as a woman who knew how to get what she wanted. At that point in my life I wanted to be a lawyer, so that made me look up to her even more.

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

As I’m now part of the family business, I’d hope I’m still at the hotel! The Pear Tree would then be in it’s 36th year and it would be pretty special to know that I had played a key role in that.