By Elizabeth Sheldon

“Evidence Talks’ marketing company entered me for 2 Women Leaders awards in 2016, Business services and Science and Technology and to my surprise I won both. At that time Women Leaders was part of a National Group under the CBI and other interested parties and they held an annual national award from regional applicants. I was invited to enter for the science and technology category and to my utter surprise I won First Woman of Science and Technology.

Winning these awards without doubt allowed further opportunities to appear. In December 2017 I was invited to become Vice President of Security for ADS the industry body representing Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space, a 3 year role that will terminate in Dec 2020. Invitations have just followed regularly then. I was invited to Chair a new security Advisory Board at Cranfield University, become a Trustee of Women in International Security (WiIS), I sit on the SRGP Security and Resilience Growth Partnership the leading body for liaison between Government and Industry, I have sat on the Security Export Strategy working group and am currently on the working group for the refresh of the Defence and Security Integrated Strategy. 

The new Institute of Technology to be sited at Bletchley Park brings together my interests in Security and Skills and so I was delighted to be asked to Chair the Governance committee of Anchor Partners of which my company is one. Then through Women Leaders UK of which I am a Trustee I have responsibility for the MKInnovates STEM festival which we hold every year, which again addresses my interest in skills.

One opportunity to help, assist and make a difference to issues, leads to another and I am sure it all started because I was entered for Milton Keynes Women Leaders awards.”