Victoria Williams believes the existence of International Women’s Day is vital.
“Seeing the visibility of it encourages young women today,” she stresses. “If it wasn’t for days like this, many of us wouldn’t be doing what we are doing today.”
Victoria joined Norse in 2017: “I have enjoyed progressing in my career – it has been very rewarding so far. My current role is to drive commercial sales and identify new opportunities for Norse Group.
“I lead a team of four business development managers across the UK and part of my role is to coach and develop their skills to identify opportunities to grow our business, while selling our services effectively.
“I try to encourage women to apply for roles when I am recruiting, but sales is a very male dominated sector, particularly in the facilities management (FM) industry.
“However, I have recently recruited my first female business development manager, which is great as it mixes up the dynamic in my team and brings a different perspective.”
Victoria admits she has witnessed discrimination both in and out of the workplace in the past but is determined to do what she can herself to Break the Bias.
“I used to DJ in my spare time – it was a huge passion of mine 10 years ago. At the time, however, I felt there was still a stigma attached to it, with not many women doing it.
“Now I see so many great young female DJs doing so well, and part of me wishes I hadn’t given up when I did. It’s through Breaking the Bias that this has happened, and I think I played a part in that back then.”
Victoria says her career in sales has been challenging but rewarding.
“I was very lucky in my early career, working for the National Lottery where I developed my skills in sales and account management.
“Since then, I have enhanced my leadership skills which has enabled me to secure roles in sales management. My career progressed quickly with Norse, and I now play a critical role in helping our business grow.
“I’m grateful for the opportunities Norse has given me and I hope to inspire other people, including young women, to go on and be successful in the business as well.
“I feel privileged to be here today and to have the freedom I do because other women have fought for it long before my time. I couldn’t be prouder to be a woman and urge no-one to let anyone else stop them from being the person they want to be.”
Q: Is there a woman you particularly admire?
A: I had one female manager who was very inspirational: she was fair, firm, passionate and really cared about her team. She really helped me through a very difficult time, and, in many ways, I model myself on her.
Q: What advice would you give to a young woman just starting out on her career?
A: Sales is a hard, but also very rewarding, role. To be successful I think it is important to seek and accept feedback, from your line manager, peers, and friends. Feedback should not be taken personally, a mistake I made early in my career. It is critical – none of us can develop without it.
