As International Women’s Day approaches, we spoke to four of our female colleagues across the region about their career journey, their challenges and this year’s campaign theme, ‘Inspire Inclusion’. First up is Julia Vershinskaya, Managing Director at Inchcape Kenya.
“#InspireInclusion is respecting everyone’s opinion and praising and accepting good ideas, regardless of who contributed them. Let’s recognise and dismantle assumptions that hold women back, creating space for diverse perspectives and talents”.
Can you tell us about your journey in the automotive sector so far?
I joined Inchcape in 2022 with no prior automotive experience. Previously, I held roles in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods(FMCG), wine and spirits and para-medical sectors. These prepared me for my role at Inchcape Kenya, which mainly involves building efficient processes and highly effective teams. Crucially, the company is home to numerous high-level automotive professionals who can share their expertise. My Inchcape colleagues were very welcoming and helpful from the start, making my onboarding experience quite comfortable.
However, upon learning that I had no previous automotive experience, there was a degree of scepticism within my own team and among clients. In response, I was determined to understand internal and external customers’ main pain points and provide effective solutions. It was my way of overcoming the initial scepticism and demonstrating my expertise and the value of my experience.
This approach really helped me on my way and enabled me to better integrate into the local automotive community and improve customer engagement. I feel the results speak for themselves. The internal Engagement Score has increased by 50pp in one year, and external customer satisfaction has increased by 50%.
The theme for International Women’s Day 2024 is Inspire Inclusion. What does this mean to you? How can we, as individuals and organisations, foster a more inclusive environment for women?
Inclusion is a big concept. Personally, it means respecting each person’s opinion and recognising, accepting and praising good ideas regardless of who came up with them. People relate more to small, everyday actions than big, abstract concepts, so we can inspire inclusion by focusing on these smaller things. By smaller, everyday actions, I mean things like asking people what they think and how they would approach specific business problems more often. Being asked for input is a way of recognising their value and also benefits the business by encouraging new ideas and approaches that improve processes and performance. It’s also vital that we act on these suggestions, as people want to see their ideas come to fruition and feel pride when they do.
So, Inspire Inclusion is respecting everyone’s opinion and praising and accepting good ideas, regardless of who contributed them. Let’s recognise and dismantle assumptions that hold women back, creating space for diverse perspectives and talents.
Do you have any tips and strategies for balancing work and personal priorities while maintaining well-being?
Honestly, I could definitely still improve in this area😊. But I can share a few personal tips. You need to listen to your body and organise your schedule to cater to basic needs. Those needs are different for everyone. They might involve taking a short walk to get a break, having a proper lunch or standing and stretching now and again. Don’t be shy about integrating this into your work schedule. It doesn’t matter what other people might think. Free up a 30-minute slot in your diary daily and use it to do something that helps you feel better. It will make you more effective during working hours.
What inspiring message would you like to share with other women on International Women’s Day?
Be brave and stand for what is good for you – both in the work environment and your private life. Listen to yourself and find ways to do things that enhance your well-being and good mood. With our hectic lifestyles and many expectations placed on women as partners, colleagues, bosses, mothers, daughters, etc., it is not easy. But it is important.
A big thanks to Julia for sharing her story and insights into what International Women’s Day and inspiring inclusion means to her. We’ll post more interviews with Inchcape women colleagues soon, so watch for new blog posts.