Celebrating International Women's Day: A Message from our Chief Executive

Over the years, our borough has been home to many inspirational and pioneering women whose work has made a real difference to the lives of others.

That same dedication and hard work is being continued every day here at RBH. I’m honoured to lead an organisation with so many talented women whose roles are essential to the services we provide for our customers and our communities.

International Women’s Day is the perfect opportunity to celebrate their achievements and contributions, as well as those of women across the borough and beyond. I’m proud that women make up three quarters of our Executive Team and that we have strong female representation across our leadership and management roles. We have amazing women role models who work across our business, delivering the services that our customers want and need and it’s a privilege to work alongside each and every one of them every day. The skills, leadership, and personal dedication they bring to RBH are an inspiration, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.

Strong representation in leadership is important, but it’s only one part of our commitment to equality. We continue to focus on ensuring fair opportunity, progression, and pay at every level.

We are committed to being an accredited Living Wage employer, a status we have held since 2012. This is particularly important in ensuring that women who choose to do things like be the primary carer for their families alongside their roles with us are not adversely affected.  By paying at least the Real Living Wage, we help to reduce income inequality and strengthen the financial security of the wonderful women working at RBH.

Flexible working is also central to our approach. We know that women are more likely to forgo or delay career progression to balance paid work with wider caring responsibilities.  We are here to support these choices and through embedding flexible working we enable the women who work at RBH to grow their careers, step into leadership roles, and contribute fully whilst maintaining a work/life balance.

Ahead of International Women's Day, RBH colleagues have been lending their time and support to Women’s Housing Action Group (WHAG). WHAG provides specialist services for vulnerable women and young families facing homelessness in Rochdale, as well as support for individuals and families experiencing domestic abuse. We've cleared out donation storage rooms, organised the playroom, and weeded and removed overgrown shrubbery at one of the charity’s local facilities. Thanks to all this good work the residents can now enjoy their outdoor space once again.

We have also put together care packages through colleague donations, which will be distributed by WHAG to the women and families they support.

On International Women’s Day I’ll be reflecting on this year’s theme – Give to Gain – and considering how we can do even more - not just today but all year round.

I firmly believe that it is our responsibility to create opportunity for others to support them to unlock and realise their ambitions.  Providing support for people to be the best version of themselves multiplies positive outcomes across society. When women thrive, families, workplaces and entire communities rise with them. 

We already do a great deal of this at RBH. Colleagues can take up to two working days to volunteer in places that are important to them, and we create opportunities across the year that benefit local people or communities within the Rochdale Borough. We're also incredibly proud to be part of the BOOST programme, a mentoring initiative that supports colleagues from ethnically diverse backgrounds working in housing to progress into leadership roles. I’m enjoying being a mentor this year which is very much a two-way relationship and I am learning so much about the barriers to progression and how we remove them together. We are also part of the Greater Manchester Housing Providers GAP mentoring programme where colleagues can share and gain experience from others working in the sector.

On Wednesday 11 March a selection of our colleagues and customers will be enjoying an afternoon tea at our community hub, The Strand. These are colleagues and customers who have been nominated by others for being an inspirational woman. 

International Women’s Day is an important day in the calendar – it is one that I feel passionately about.  It is a day to reflect on the great things that we do to empower people. It also reminds us that not every woman in the world has the same opportunities and there are those that will never experience the freedoms and liberty that we can sometimes take for granted. It is for these women that we push hard into spaces that challenge the art of the possible and showcase how real progress happens when every woman and girl is empowered to thrive.

We’re encouraged to lift one another up, knowing that when women rise, whole communities rise with us.

To all the women out there reading this today, I admire the courage, value the compassion and celebrate the brilliance each of you bring to our shared work, our communities and in showing the power that women have when they are enabled to thrive. Together, let’s keep building a culture where every voice is heard, every contribution is valued, and every woman has the space to lead boldly.

Happy International Women's Day to you all.

Amanda