Winner of everywoman’s Entrepreneur for Good Award, Dipalee started her geotechnical and environmental engineering consultancy in 2009 alongside her university friend, with the aim of building sustainable communities in the UK and beyond, through better ground engineering, while simultaneously creating a company that cares about people and planet.

What made you want to start Ground & Water?
“Fifteen years ago, I couldn’t see how I was going to build my career and start having a family. So, I bravely and ignorantly ripped up the rule book, and working alongside my business partner and good friend, Francis Williams, Ground & Water was born. Initially led from our kitchen tables, and soon with babes-in-arms, we managed to build the business from the ground up. We were always determined to build a values-led company with family and community at the heart.”

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far?
“The biggest lesson I’ve learnt along the way is that you cannot control others or motivate them, but you can trust and inspire them. So, spend more time focusing on yourself and how you can be better and do better. Keep learning and invest in your personal development – it will reward you both in personal and professional life and it will enable you to become the person you want to be and, in turn, inspire the people around you.”

Our spring campaign is all about celebrating women. Can you tell us about a strong female in your life who has helped you?
“My mother is my role model and someone who has hugely helped me. She herself raised three children and ran two businesses, a lot of it on her own, as my father died when I was 10. She showed me how to be strong and driven, yet grounded. I decided early on that I was going to be a mum and have a career. I honestly don’t think I would have the career I do today without her consistent help over the years with childcare and her delicious home-cooked meals, while I was busy working.”

What are your ambitions for the future?
“My purpose in life is to continue to work towards the United Nations Sustainability goals, especially UN SDG 5, Gender Equality. I’m a huge advocate for talking about and promoting EDI in the industry and beyond. My youngest child is a girl and I want to show her that women can be amazing mothers, business leaders and change makers. I’m passionate about inspiring and empowering young girls, women and women of colour into the industry, and supporting them in their careers.”

What does this look like?
“More talks, presentations, going into schools, releasing more episodes of my podcast, Chai & Chat Engineering, doing more work with Inspiring Girls UK, partnering with charities that align with our values, the first of which we have started recently with Charity: water.

Ground & Water strives to be a responsible and sustainable business, so B Corp certification is important for us. We would also like to grow our team and open some regional offices in the Midlands and the north, ensuring that we provide career progression for our team and future talent coming through, working towards UN SDG 8 – decent work and economic growth.

My personal ambitions: I’d love to climb Kilimanjaro and run another marathon at some point! And for my family, to spend time with my children, watch them grow and be a constant presence in their lives.”

Has being a woman in the industry you’re in been an advantage or a hurdle to overcome?
“In my formative years, I would say it was a hurdle. A large part of that was the narrative I was telling myself: I am a woman of colour in a white male industry. I found myself in spaces where I was frequently the minority and I let this limit my self-belief and capabilities. Over the past five years, I have been working hard on myself, on my self-belief, imposter syndrome and confidence, and now realise I can use my uniqueness and my voice in the workplace and in industry to create more equality, to bring awareness to these issues, to role model, to inspire more girls and women in the engineering and construction industry and beyond. I want to build a new way of working.”

groundandwater.co.uk

Winner of everywoman’s Tech Innovator Award, Marvee-Lisa co-founded the pioneering tech start-up in 2015 as a platform for sending and receiving letters with sustainability, cost-saving solutions and efficiency at its core.

How would you describe Postworks and what you stand for?
“We’re a challenger brand. A bit rebellious and not afraid to have fun, which is unusual in our industry. It’s typically quite boring and lacking in tech.”

You meet your 18-year-old self. What piece of advice would you give them?
“You’re valuable. And you matter.”

Our spring campaign is all about celebrating women. Can you tell us about a strong female in your life who has helped you on your journey?
“My now COO, Nikki. She’s just incredible. When she came for an interview with us almost five years ago, she told us she was seven weeks pregnant. She was then – and still is today – the best candidate for the job so we hired her, knowing that if she would tell us this out of the gate, she (along with her integrity) was someone we wanted on our team.

Five years on and we weren’t wrong. We have had some absolutely incredible celebrations of success as we’ve gone on our growth journey from zero- to eight-figure revenue in just six years. She’s an amazing COO and the funniest person I know (this is a running joke and if this gets quoted she will definitely print this off and frame it in the office so the CEO of Postworks (also my husband) can see it whenever he comes in!).”

Is there a woman you really admire?
“Poppy Szkiler, CEO of Quiet Mark [a global certification programme for low-noise, high-performance products to reduce noise pollution]. I heard her speak at a conference several years back about starting her business from her kitchen table and cold calling Lexus, which ultimately led to a deal. A while ago, I needed some help and I reached out to her, she made time to meet with me, talk and set me back on the narrow path. She is so kind and compassionate, and an incredible business leader. It’s easy to preach one message on stage and live out another, but Poppy is one of the few who lives her message.”

Has being a woman in the industry you’re in been an advantage or a hurdle to overcome?
“It’s tricky to say because we’ve been so fortunate to be able to write our own standards. I’ve breastfed in board meetings and even had my four-year-old daughter accept my everywoman award on stage with me. I love that my position gives me the opportunity to influence like this.

On the flip side, I also remember a sales executive coming over to us at an industry event and he wanted us to rebook for the following year. I asked how much it was and he literally turned his back to me to open up his folder and show the pricing to our Sales Manager, who was male and older than me but, of course, reported to me. He was hugely uncomfortable and pointed him back to me, “Sorry mate, you’ve got this wrong, she’s the decision maker”. Stuff like that happens fairly frequently. James, the Postworks CEO, won’t do business with anyone who repeatedly addresses him and not his team.”

postworks.co.uk

The not-for-profit organisation, co-founded by Amanda, aims to equip young people with the skills, knowledge and confidence to cook delicious, affordable and healthy meals at home. Working with primary and secondary schools across the UK, they’ve hosted in-person and online cook-along classes for more than 150,000 students to date, all featuring straightforward ingredients, equipment and easy-to-follow recipes.

How would you describe Cook School and what you stand for?
“Cook School is on a mission to teach children about food. With the rise in fast food and ready meals we are increasingly losing touch with what it means to eat healthily and seasonally. Through nationwide school programmes, we teach students to cook simple yet nutritious, meat-free meals from scratch. We focus on equipping young people across the UK – primarily in underprivileged communities via partnerships with state schools – with the skills, knowledge and confidence to cook meals at home that are delicious, affordable and healthy. For every recipe we write, ingredients and equipment lists are purposefully straightforward: each is designed with a consideration for what each child will have ready access to at home, every recipe feeds four and dishes generally cost around £1 per head. We want children to grow up with good relationships with food as well as the planet. Eating meat-free meals – whether all the time or just sometimes – is both good for them and for the environment.”

What made you want to start Cook School and where did you begin?
“Some of my earliest memories are of my mum teaching me about food in the kitchen. I realised very young that I ate differently to lots of my friends because she had such a holistic approach to eating. And this is how it all began. I’ve spent my career to date writing healthy and seasonal recipes that, most importantly, are accessible to educate families across the UK on how to cook for each other.

I am very proud that I’ve written more than 10 books, and two of my children’s recipe books were voted in the top five globally.

Reading the statistics on childhood obesity made me wonder if there was a way to help other children to learn these vital skills, too. This inspired the creation of Cook School with my husband, Kristian, who, like me, wanted to reach children on a bigger scale while working directly with them. Our main aims are to promote healthy eating by teaching vegetarian recipes, helping children to eat sustainably (and enjoy it!) and showing the connection between the health of ourselves and the planet. Along the way, the children are learning kitchen skills that they can apply to a whole host of recipes and that they can therefore take with them throughout their lives.”

You meet your 18-year-old self. What piece of advice would you give them?
“Trust your gut. Listen to how you feel every step of the way as you know what’s best for yourself – and believe this, too. You know best. Believe in yourself.

I’d also tell her not to overthink the small things, to have as much fun as possible, and to look after her close friends and family. I’ve always worked hard, but it’s really important to enjoy the journey along the way – and nothing is more important than the people you love. That’s why our lessons focus on cooking for other people, as well as yourself; eating together is such a wonderful way of connecting.”

What are your ambitions for the future?
“I want to engage with and teach as many children and their families as possible about food and how to cook simple, delicious, healthy meals. So far, we’ve made great strides, meeting wonderful people along the way, but there’s a lot more to be done.”

As women, what can we be doing to support one another in business?
“Share advice, work together and communicate. I’ve particularly loved mentoring and passing along knowledge to my amazing assistants whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”

cookschool.club

Founders of their own interior design companies, Alexandria Dauley (far left) and Sophie Ashby began United In Design in 2020. It’s a charitable trust which aims to make the UK interior design industry more diverse and accessible, by creating educational programmes and collaborating with industry professionals.

How would you describe United In Design and what you stand for?
Alexandria: “We created United In Design to address the lack of diversity in the design industry and provide companies with a pathway to create change. We partner businesses across all sectors – from landscape, lighting and textile designers to joiners, architects and magazines – to provide career opportunities in the interior-design world.”

What made you want to start your company and where did you begin?
Sophie: “In June 2020, I issued a statement on my interior-design company’s Instagram in response to the murder of George Floyd and the global anti-racism movement, acknowledging the studio’s own shortcomings in running a diverse company and some uncomfortable home truths about the exclusionary nature of the design world. The outpouring of energy and drive for change I received in response was truly overwhelming. I went on to speak to at least 20 people on Zoom over the course of the following week, mainly black designers and students who had a story to tell me, and I felt compelled to find a way to help. Alex and I connected at the time and agreed to join forces to shape what would later become United In Design.”

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?
Alexandria: “That running a business is not for the faint-hearted. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and always hire staff who are more talented than you.”
Sophie: “There are many unknowns that will come along and disrupt even the best-laid plans. Take a step back and give yourself space to reflect and gain perspective.”

Can you tell us about a strong female in your life who has helped you on your journey?
Alexandria: “My grandmother, Joan. A truly wonderful woman full of love and a real trailblazer. She hated injustice and fought for what she believed in. She was born and brought up in a tiny Welsh village and fostered countless children before adopting two dual-heritage children: my mother and aunt. It’s something that the village had never witnessed before. She fought for their right to a good home and education and raised them, and me, with fantastic values.”

Has being a woman in the industry you’re in been an advantage or a hurdle to overcome?
Alexandria: “I recognise that gender and diversity in business is important – it undoubtedly fosters greater creativity. I do believe that my female emotional intelligence and tenacity has served me well. It also enables me to champion other women at various stages in their career, having the empathy and knowledge that shared experience brings.”

As women, what can we be doing to support one another in business?
Sophie: “I am a big believer in the ‘shine theory’ – that if you help another woman shine, then you shine, too.”

unitedindesign.com