It is no secret that women still face structural barriers in climbing the career ladder. Additionally, once women reach an executive position in their organisation, maintaining it while juggling other life responsibilities is a whole other feat. Although the issue has become more visible in recent years, each sector offers its own unique challenges for their female leaders.
In particular, the public sector can be a high-pressure and male-dominated field. Although a career in the sector is fulfilling and offers opportunities to make a difference in society, talented women may still have reservations about entering the sector.
Anj Popat is an Associate Director at Tile Hill, a public sector firm specialising in interim and executive recruitment. With over ten years of experience in senior roles in the sector, she shares her thoughts on her career journey, the challenges that women face in the public sector, and how we can collectively transform the public sector to be more welcoming to women.
With a background in law and strong motivation to serve the community, Anj entered the interim recruitment sector in her early-20s, and has successfully established herself as a leader in the space. As an associate director in Tile Hill, she leads her team in helping their clients in local government find interim and search solutions for senior-level roles.
Anj also strongly feels responsible to provide thought leadership around recruitment and inclusion, offering her own perspective on the issues facing the sector as a woman in a senior role to motivate the sector to change.
Women and the Public Sector
In the early days of her career, Anj’s experience of the public sector was that it was a very male-dominated field. As a young woman of ethnic minority, she used to feel pressure to prove her credibility to her managers, colleagues and clients. This means working twice as hard as those around her. Even at the current stage of her career, there are still times where she feels that she is seen as emotional or irrational. In the male-dominated culture of the public sector, empathetic and caring traits may not be as valued, although Anj feels that this is her strength as a woman. As a leader, she genuinely cares for those around her and expresses that in her work.
As she’s grown in her role and worked with various clients and projects, Anj has felt more confident in demonstrating her capabilities and receiving credit for the valuable work that she has done. She is now working on representing her gender to the best of her ability, especially at tables where she might be the only woman involved.
In general, the public sector must do better to support women in leadership roles. Anj recommends more succession planning, learning and development and education initiatives to bridge the massive gap between managerial roles and leadership roles. There is not enough to support women in this transition, so many feel unequipped to step forward for roles even if they qualify for them.
How Recruiters Can Be Trailblazers in Diversity and Inclusion
Throughout her career, Anj’s leadership style has evolved as she adapts to the team around her. Now, she focuses on being a more collaborative and inclusive leader. As a recruiter’s work revolves around people and teams, it is important to remain open and approachable to her colleagues, setting a good standard when it comes to interpersonal skills. Alongside more formal training schemes, Anj believes in fostering an environment where those at senior levels are enthusiastically mentoring others unofficially.
By vocalising her values to management, Anj ensures that Tile Hill is always working to do better by their employees. An Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) panel is an important part of Tile Hill’s work, by discussing and implementing training and workshops for employees. The panels also run surveys around flexible working and work-life balance, making sure employees are involved in creating a culture that they are happy to work in. There are also lots of women in leadership at Tile Hill, and roles specifically about diversity and inclusion. Implementing inclusive policies internally can influence clients and partners within the public sector to do the same.
Recruiters have a special privilege in helping introduce diverse candidates into positions in the public sector. Therefore, recruiters can hold employers to account around genuine wants for diversity, ensuring that they have the environment and policies in place to retain diverse candidates. It is also helpful to remind employers that diversity in thought leads to more successful leadership teams, something that Anj often touches upon as part of her thought leadership.
Advice for Aspiring Female Leaders
Resilience, authenticity and empathy are three skills that are crucial for women aiming to enter director-level roles.
Resilience can mean working hard to deliver the best work possible. However, rest is also a part of resilience. Anyone in leadership positions must make sure to maintain their work-life balance. Anj stresses the importance of taking time for yourself, finding a working pattern that fits around her life and sticking to it. She allows her team to have complete time off, fostering a work culture that respects personal boundaries. Tile Hill makes sure to incorporate policies that support work-life balance for everyone. This includes flexible working, sabbatical, paternity and generous maternity leave, and coaching and mentoring from people in senior positions.
Authenticity is staying true to your values and building a supportive community around you. Women who aspire to be in leadership positions should network, build relationships and find the people that will advise you through challenges while helping you speak up for what matters to you. Anj finds support in the women she works with, including her previous directors, colleagues and some of her female clients.
Empathy is key, especially in recruitment. In her previous role, Anj has led events for women in interim recruitment in the public sector, finding it rewarding and a great chance to get to know the people she works with on a more personal level.
Executive Profile
Anj Popat is an Associate Director in Tile Hill’s Interim Management team. Her specialty is in Corporate Resources, having worked in providing C-suite interim resourcing solutions within the local government space. Anj uses expertise to grow the company’s HR and candidate network, amplifying the impact of Tile Hill across the public sector and beyond.
Anj Popat is committed to seeing greater representation in public sector teams, often speaking up and leading discussions on diversity, gender and cultural intelligence in the sector.
