30 April / May 2023 - Issue 246 www.signlink.co.uk print industry in creativity, development, and customisation. I feel I will be able to contribute to the progression in my current assignment. Do you feel there are enough women in the sign industry, and if not, how can we tackle this? Women have often participated in design and print culture throughout history, yet their impact has typically been neglected and undervalued. To date there has been an increase in female leaders and owners all around the world. Even with this happening, there still is a gaping hole in this male-dominated print industry. I implore women to take risks and show that they too can make important decisions or do important things. What’s your proudest career moment to date? Overcoming Covid challenges and having to refocus has been my proudest career accomplishment. I put into perspective what the print industry was experiencing in that very uncertain time. I recreated my efforts with an energised drive to find a career at Drytac filled with passion and purpose. How did you come to be involved with the sign industry, and what has your career looked like to date? I started in telesales for a distributor in Hull in 1992. During that time, I was desperate to get on the road but that wasn’t something a huge amount of women were doing. It was more seen as the ‘men’s job’ to go out travelling, and women were there to make the sales. However, I worked for an enthusiastic female manager with a male director at the time, who were both inspired by my passion and helped me start my journey. Now, being in senior positions and most recently as Managing Director of Josero and now Group Sales Director at Soyang Europe has allowed me to reflect on how far I’ve come in my career. I have been very fortunate to meet some amazing people and go to some amazing places during my 31 years in the industry. I am therefore very passionate about encouraging the younger generations, especially women to become part of it. Do you feel there are enough women in the sign industry, and if not, how can we tackle this? Certainly not! It is improving but we have a long way to go. I’ve always been aware that we live in a male-dominated society, however, when I first started in the industry, it really shone a light on how much so. I saw this as a challenge, yet despite often having misogynistic comments being thrown my way, I didn’t give up – but I often wonder, how many women did. I have been working with Inspirational Learning which is keen to raise awareness in schools of different industries, giving them the knowledge they need to make informed decisions – so I think that’s a great start. What’s your proudest career moment to date? Surviving being a woman in the sign and graphics industry! Seriously though, making it to a senior-level role within the industry at Josero was such an achievement, especially within a male-dominated industry. Becoming Managing Director of Josero in 2021 before moving into the role of Group Sales Director following the acquisition of Soyang Europe has been an honour. How did you come to be involved with the sign industry, and what has your career looked like to date? Like most people, I think, I ended up working in the signage and graphics sector through pure coincidence. I just happened to apply for a job with a business that was recruiting in this sector. Do you feel there are enough women in the sign industry, and if not, how can we tackle this? I don’t think there are enough women in the industry. Working in recruitment I get to speak with people in the industry and the vast majority are men. I think more investment in training and development as well as promoting the industry in schools and colleges will help to tackle this. For most people when they think of the print or signage sector they think of a physical manufacturing job. Whilst it is a manufacturing area, this is now heavily led by technology. Apart from that there are muliple areas where women can get involved such as client services, sales, design, project management, and so on. What’s your proudest career moment to date? The proudest moment has been starting my own business INV Recruitment and making it through the pandemic and now going from strength to strength. FOCUS ON / WOMEN IN SIGN Izabella Ivanovici and Sarah Winterbottom founded Women in Signs and Graphics (WSG) back in 2020. The group’s purpose is to inspire, encourage, and promote women in the industry whilst being part of a group of like-minded individuals sharing ideas and working with Ambassadors to help in the quest for the industry to be more equal. The aim is to open up more opportunities in the industry for women whilst collaborating with the education sector to encourage the next generation to be aware of what this industry holds for them. You can find out more about WSG at www.womeninsignsandgraphics.co.uk. On May 10th, there will be a Women in Signs and Graphics Ladies Bootcamp in partnership with Make it Happen. The second Ladies Bootcamp from Make it Happen, the event will take place at SignFab UK’s visitor centre in Leicester. On what led the pair to found WSG, Winterbottom says: “At the beginning of my career, I often found myself sitting in meetings surrounded by men. Although I have always been able to stand my ground, I often felt marginalised. Both Izabella and I noticed a need for women within the industry. We started to brainstorm how to bring people together and instigate conversations surrounding gender within the workplace. “Engaging with like-minded individuals not only allows others to feel seen but also creates a strong foundation for inspiration and inclusivity.” Izabella Ivanovici, director of INV Recruitment Sarah Winterbottom, group sales director of Soyang/Josero
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