Hear from the Women's Impact Network team

Hear from the Women's Impact Network UK team

Lily Flounders

Designate Operations Manager

I joined MWI Animal Health in January 2021 when I was fairly young and it became apparent very quickly that there weren’t many young women, or many women at all, in similar job roles to me.

I have done a couple of different roles since and I am now the Designate Operations Manager for the Stoke DC. I am very proud to be doing this role in a male dominated industry. I have been able to use my position to make a lot of positive change and a large portion of that has come off the back of the initiatives we created as part of the Women's Impact Network group.

Being part of the Women’s Impact Network is really important to me as it allows me to share my ideas with a group of likeminded people and it has been so empowering to see our ideas turned into actions and positive changes for our team members.

Samantha Webb

Financial Controller

In my previous employment I was inspired by our CEO, she had joined the company as a graduate and worked her way up in the business whilst also having a family. This made me think if she can achieve all of this, then so can I. I made the decision at 22 to retrain and become an Accountant continuing with my full time job and started studying evenings and weekends. I became a qualified accountant in 2014, since qualifying I’ve started a family and still strive to keep learning and pushing myself to that next level.

I’m lucky to work with a great team, with a mix of genders, ages and personalities, everyone has a different perspective and ideas of how we can continue to grow and improve as a department.

Becoming a part of the Women’s Impact Network has been such a rewarding experience. We meet regularly and can have open discussions about our experiences, not just within work but also outside of work. With the initiatives we have discussed we aim to support and empower women, whilst encouraging ourselves to think outside of the box in how these can be implemented and inclusive to all employees.

Karen Gilbert

Head of Supply Chain

Hi I’m Karen, I am married to Andy and we have two daughters, both are currently at college, and he has older son from his previous marriage, who works in the hospitality industry. We keep Welsh Harlequin and Cayuga ducks, we also keep bees and have two dogs, a labradoodle and a St Berdoodle. I’m a keen gardener and genealogist, we love spending time with family and friends and live music.

I’m Head of Supply Chain and have been with MWI since September 2019 having worked within large animal veterinary practice and setting up a small niche veterinary wholesaler, I’ve been within the industry for 16 years. My role is to ensure we have the right strategy to ensure a high level of product availability for our customers whilst trying to maintain a healthy cashflow and efficient goods receipt process.

For me the Women’s Impact Network is incredibly important, as a mum of two young ladies, who, within the next five years I hope will be going into full time employment, I want to ensure they don’t have the same struggles I’ve had in my early working years. I want to ensure in my role as a senior leader within MWI AH UK that we are creating an environment of equality where all associates regardless of gender, sex, creed, race, religion, or beliefs we can be themselves in the workplace. Where we break down bias and can freely and openly be ourselves, whether this be talking about our partners, our health issues, or we can just be having an off day, or where our associates can feel comfortable displaying tattoos or piercings. To help create an environment where it’s acceptable that not all women want to have children or that women can freely discuss that they plan to have a baby rather than feeling they can’t say anything until weeks into a pregnancy. Where those having fertility treatment needed shy away or breastfeeding mums are provided space to express.

Beth Leppard

HR Manager

I’m Beth - I live in Richmond, North Yorkshire with my husband, springer spaniel & two rescued cats. I am an outdoor lover, away from work I can be found walking the dog, horse riding or hiking in the Yorkshire Dales with my friends and family. I’m the HR Manager and have been with MWI since January 2018, working in my current role since the beginning of 2022.

Both personally and within my role, Diversity and Inclusion is so important to me. We should all be able to come to work, feel good and have equal opportunities. Whilst my experience as a woman in the working world has always been very positive, I’m conscious that it hasn’t always been the case for others. Being part of the Women’s Impact Network is really empowering, and collectively with our male allies, we’re driving tangible change within MWI - for our employees now and for those that will join our journey in the future. It's important to me that we have an environment of diversity and being part of a network group that makes things happen, changes the conversation, and brings awareness to such important topics is really inspiring.

Joanna Szwarc

Night Shift Warehouse Manager

I've been with MWI Animal Health for a year and I’m pleased to say, I have had the opportunity to grow and become a Warehouse Manager. My duty is to make sure products for our customers are picked, packed, and ready to be loaded into the delivery vehicles in the safest and most compliant way.

I’m passionate about working with people and I make sure my team members have the resources needed to become skilled operators within their area. I strive to create a well-organised, effective, and efficient team.

I wanted to be a part of something good, the Women's Impact Network always considers the well-being of others. For the past year everyone within the WIN is kind and caring, complement each other, fantastic ideas are borne, and a lot of work is done in their own time. It is great to listen to women with passion and be exposed to the other external organisations for example Woman In Logistics.

Arthi Shridharan

IT Development Manager

Hi, I am Arthi and work as Software Development Manager at MWI Animal Health. I have not been in the company very long but very pleased to see a strong culture of inclusivity and efforts to make sure we celebrate our successes as well as have forums to challenge our perceptions and prejudices.

Before joining MWI I have spent a number of years working in very technically focused roles and I won’t be exaggerating when I say I have often found myself to be the only woman in a room full of developers or at one point even in the entire IT department. And this is not going back 30 or 40 years but just within the last 10-15 years. The lack of representation of women in different spheres in our working life is well documented and girls of future generation are caught in this catch-22 situation due to lack of role models.

I have 2 young children; a boy and girl and I make sure they are treated just the same and provided with similar opportunities and experiences – both are equally happy playing with dolls and construction toys. I am hoping going forward this will transcend into the life choices they make in future. I think the choice should be on the individual on what they want to do and be, rather than pre-conceived notions driving their decisions.

We have come a long way from how it was from years gone by. But there is still more to do – and the progress across the world is not balanced. Recently I have had the pleasure of collaborating with extremely talented and driven women within my company getting things done and going that extra mile. Women’s Impact Network is a great initiative to bring to forefront what we can achieve and inspire others to see what is possible.

Women's Impact Network