There has been a “shift in industry sentiment” regarding inappropriate behaviour, especially over the last five years.
Speaking on Accord Mortgages’ Growth Series podcast as part of its Mortgage Mentors series, Danielle Moore (pictured), operations director at AE3 Media, said she had been in situations as a woman in the male-dominated mortgage industry that had been “uncomfortable and, at times, completely inappropriate and not okay. I can deal with those much better now”.
She continued: “It’s probably an age and a confidence thing, but also, there’s been a shift in industry sentiment, I think, particularly over the last five years. I think as a media provider as well, we’ve had a responsibility to our audiences and those who attend our events for people to be able to feel comfortable and authentic in the environments they’re in.
“We’re promoting the need for suitable behaviours, there’s more calling-out of inappropriate actions, and I think that we’re coming together as an industry now to say we’re not going to tolerate it, but there’s a responsibility on publishers like us and leaders within different businesses to be able to say that when things are brought to their attention… they are acting on it.”
Moore added that she also faced “pushback” with male counterparts due to being “quite direct”.
“Words like ‘bullish’, ‘self-assured’, ‘overconfident’, all of those things have been used to describe me, and it’s frustrating, because when that behaviour is seen or exhibited by a man, it’s not the same. You would probably be called assertive; I would be called aggressive, or I’m told I’m scary, and actually it’s not fair, and it’s because of my gender.
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“I really believe… that those words are thrown around, so in terms of resilience, you have to learn that it is okay to be you,” she said.
Being a working parent ‘has made me a better leader’
Speaking about her experience as a working parent, Moore said there were “challenges when I was younger”, noting that there was “not as much allyship within the industry”.
Moore said that when she joined AE3 Media following the management buyout of the mortgage titles from Incisive Media, the firm was “really vocal about their commitment to me and the fact I was a returning mum, understand[ing] what I needed”, which wasn’t commonplace.
“They didn’t question my wants and my needs and made it clear that they felt that we could form this partnership where I was able to be the mum that I wanted and also develop my career,” she said.
Moore continued: “It’s different now, but back then, you would be kind of left just to get on with things, and people would make inappropriate comments, and everyone around you would laugh. That was how it was, and it’s not like that now.”
Moore said being a working parent had “shaped my views really massively, particularly looking at leadership”.
“It’s helped me look at that in a completely different lens. My career has gone on an upward trajectory since becoming a mother, and I show my team that you can have a really good career and be senior in your organisation if you’re a mum; it doesn’t have to stop you. Being a mother teaches you so many lessons that you can carry forward, and resilience is one of them,” she added.
Moore said being a working parent was “not an easy thing to juggle”, but she was “really passionate about ensuring our own business and the industry remains flexible in terms of allowing parents, not just women… the working hours they need to feel like they’re not missing out”.
“I make it really clear when I’m now going to sports day or a play or whatever. I’m not apologetic about that, whereas previously, I might have kind of scurried off because maybe I was concerned that someone would look at me and think: ‘Oh, she’s not doing her hours’.
“The key for me is commitment from your employees to delivering the output that their role requires, and how they do that within their working day is completely up to them, as long as it doesn’t affect business.
“Being a working parent has really made me more adaptable with my leadership style as well, and I can be adaptable to all of our employees’ needs. I’ve got a people-first mentality… Everyone has different skill sets. It’s a really important mantra of not one-size-fits-all,” she explained.
