Women in Leadership: TriCIS' Ann-Marie Warner-Read

Millions of women have been involved in Her Majesty’s Government and Ministry of Defence for years. With the outbreak of WW1 and WW2 they participated in the wartime work force. There were a variety of female war workers who gained employment in manufacturing during the war. Many women shifted from their pre-war employment positions, moving from secretarial or service-related jobs to the production line. Women’s motives for taking on such work were varied. Some joined defence plants to patriotically support the country in wartime. Others joined because they had husbands, brothers, or other family members in the military and wished to help support the troops through their employment.

Coming from a rich heritage of serving personnel it was natural for me to follow in their suit. It was not easy but then nothing in life worth doing is easy. The options to have a career and care for a family were not readily and easily available/achievable 25 years ago and I found myself leaving the forces to raise a family. The bonds that tied me to defence remained strong though and my career has expanded across this industry.

Often, I am one of a small number of women in a room if not the only women in a room and I am fine with this. My gender should not matter, what matters is the opportunities afforded to me and what I do with them. I am blessed to have several women in my life of all walks of nature who I learn from continually. I am also proud of our collective progress to date and excited to see how the generations to come use the plethora of opportunities available to them to go be the absolute best they can be in whatever they choose to do.

Happy International Women’s Day 2022!