We’ve got so many amazing women across Norfolk doing incredible things so we’re celebrating them across the month of March. We also have our own inspirational women who work within Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, and we're shining the light on them too. Nova Fairbank, is our Guru and Chief Operating Officer.
What one piece of career advice would you give to the 20 year-old you?
Aim high, be positive and believe in yourself. Expect to start at the bottom, accept all learning opportunities, gather knowledge and make calculated career moves to get where you want to be.
Who is your female role model?
Oooh I have several. My mum – she is like a terrier when she wants something and she is my number one fan. My grandma – in an era where women stayed at home, she went out and drove ambulances. She also very much did not suffer fools lightly – a trait I have inherited! In the world of business, there are many, many women who are inspiring, for lots of different reasons – too many to name here.
What was your career goal when you were young?
The honest answer: I really did not have one. Whilst at school, I was a straight-A student but when it came to exams, I found out the hard way that I am really not good at them! So I left school with little in the way of qualifications and the advice was go get a job – which I did. I discovered I had a flair for organisation, so with determination and a lot of hard work, 11 jobs, a range of on-the-job training, and 35 years later, I went from Junior Receptionist to Chief Operating Officer. The moral of the story – if you want something, work hard, and don’t give in – it’s amazing what you can achieve if you put your mind to it.
What’s your biggest career achievement to date?
Probably my current role – I joined Norfolk Chambers as the Executive Assistant to the CEO nearly 11 years ago, my role then was to support the CEO and help with the Board and Area Councils. I now have a very good broad understanding of the Norfolk business community and the challenges and the opportunities that they face. I am involved in influencing on behalf of the business community across a range of projects from transport and infrastructure, to skills; red tape to supply chains. To have a CEO that believes in your abilities and facilitates them has been an amazing experience and has resulted in being awarded the role I have today.
What have your biggest challenges been as a woman in business?
My career started in a female light environment - shipping and transport and then moved to working in North Africa – even more male dominated. Which just goes to prove that women working in an unusual environment is possible – but you have to demonstrate confidence and not take no for an answer. I am lucky, I have not come across the glass ceiling that some women, in some sectors seem to hit, so have yet to experience the frustration of that glass ceiling.
However, my biggest challenge is self-inflicted and something I work hard to overcome. As a woman in business, you have to demonstrate expertise and confidence to the outside world – to do this you have to have a huge amount of self-belief and not be afraid to be scrutinised. I am guilty, like many other women, of assuming that I can’t do something or that I wouldn’t be considered for an opportunity. My breakthrough was a CEO, who not only believed in my knowledge, expertise and capabilities, but actively encouraged me to step out of the shadows and be counted. He was right.
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