When it comes to careers, girls should aspire to be a first-class woman, not a second-class man, says Scotland’s first UK Female Entrepreneurship Ambassador, Jeanette Forbes.
A woman who started her own business with high hopes and just £100 in her bank account has been charged with the task of encouraging more women to become entrepreneurs and to set up in business in their own right.
Jeanette Forbes, CEO of the PCL Group, set up her own company in March 2000 after being made redundant following a downturn in the oil and gas sector.
Using the last of her redundancy money and working from her dining room table she built the company up to become a global IT service provider to the offshore, marine, commercial and industrial sectors based in Regent Quay, Aberdeen.
Her success, particularly in carving out a career and setting up a highly successful business in what is traditionally seen as a man’s world, has won her a string of accolades and awards along the way but the latest is one she is particularly proud of.
Jeanette has just been named the North-east of Scotland’s first UK Female Entrepreneurship Ambassador (UKFEA).
She joins a select group of 50 successful businesswomen across the UK who have been invited to join UKFEA, part of a wider EU-funded ambassadors programme set up across 22 countries in Europe.
The European network has 250 female role models, from across all business sectors, with only a handful of those based in Scotland.
She firmly believes women have the capability and the talent to start up their own businesses.
“The number of women running their own businesses or who are in self-employment is not representative of the number of women in the overall labour market and this programme aims to change that by increasing the number of females involved in some sort of entrepreneurial activity,” said Jeanette, 54.
“Our role as ambassadors is to campaign on behalf of women and to look for opportunities to promote the ideals of the programme.
“It is committed to supporting and encouraging females to take those first steps towards an independent career and to show them that no matter what particular line of business they are in they can make it work, whether their goal is to operate as a self-employed sole trader or as someone who believes they have a business concept which they can grow into a business which will eventually employ other people.
“No matter what kind of business you start up, no one will tell you it is going to be easy.
“It takes hard work, determination and the ability to pick yourself up and dust yourself off when things go wrong. But on the plus side the sense of empowerment that is achieved by becoming an entrepreneur is life changing.”
A qualified systems engineer, Jeanette’s own career path took her from receptionist, to secretary and PA.
From there she studied for a computing degree and Diploma in Management on a day-release basis while holding down a full-time job and looking after a young family.
She has a particular interest in encouraging females from school age upwards to be confident enough to realise that they can overcome the barriers and enter what has been traditionally seen as a “man’s world” of work.
“There is a distinct lack of female role models in the STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – and this may discourage women from looking on those areas as a career choice and a sector where they can build their own business,” said Jeanette who lives in Aberdeen city centre and is mum to son Chris and daughter Joanne.
“That is why this programme is so important because it raises the profile of women successfully leading their own businesses in industries where traditionally females have been few and far between.
“If anyone is interested in finding out more about the opportunities in that area, I’d encourage them to check out some of the events taking place during the British Science Festival which is being held in Aberdeen next month.
“The festival is one of Europe’s largest celebrations of science, engineering and technology and it will highlight the diversity of career choices available.
“Encouraging women to reach their full potential in business life is an ongoing passion for me; it’s about aspiring to be a first-class woman, not a second-class man.”
