On International Women’s Day in 2022 we are pleased to once again celebrate our foundations as a female-founded and led brand. We are proud to be part of the 16% of UK SME employers (organisations with less than 250 employees) who are female-led. Quite simply, there would be no Pip & Nut without Pip and, beyond this, there would be no Pip & Nut as we know it today without the 50% of our Senior Leadership Team who are also women. While we look forward to the day that this doesn’t make Pip & Nut a unique brand, it’s important that we highlight how we #BreakTheBias, in order to empower others and help affect positive change.
Here at Pip & Nut being female-led isn’t necessarily something we consciously think about everyday - it is our norm, therefore, in a way, everyday is International Women’s Day. We are lucky to work within an environment where team members are encouraged to reach their full potential, get paid fairly and are supported in their personal development, regardless of their gender, race or sexuality. To make sure this is something we don’t take for granted, we asked our team to reflect on what it is like working for a female-led and founded business and be honest about any challenges they feel they have faced personally, or as a company, within the food and drink industry. Here’s what they had to say:
Looking Forward:
Whilst it’s great to be able to appreciate women and their successes on days like IWD, action is what’s needed to #BreakTheBias. For us, this is a year round commitment, hence why we have started, and will continue to update, our Instagram “IWD” Highlight. We will use this to house key quotes and soundbites from Pip, and other members of our team, alongside key resources that we think can help spark innovation in others.
The need to take action as consumers is also important. If women started businesses at the same rate as male entrepreneurs, the UK economy would benefit from a £250 billion boost. That's why we encourage you to check out ‘Buy Women Built’, a newly launched initiative that we are thrilled to be a part of, which directs consumers to brands that are built by women! While not everyone can mentor or invest in female founders, we can all actively buy from them, and in doing so, help close the gender-entrepreneurship gap and hopefully allow increased accessibility for future female founders to reach their potential. The bottom line is that everyone will benefit from a fairer economy.
Lastly, if, like us, you find Pip’s story particularly inspiring and would like to hear more from her, we highly encourage you to join her at the Virgin Startup Series event: In Conversation With Pip Murray. Starting at 6pm on Tuesday 16th March, you will have the chance to hear Pip talk about her experiences running Pip & Nut, followed by an interactive Q&A with the audience. The best part is this event is completely free so follow this link for tickets.
Artwork by Vinitha @artthrobbymammen who created an #IWD2022 #BreakTheBias🙅♀️ piece for the #IWDtypism challenge.
