International Women’s Day 2021
8th March - Sarah Maddox hosted CQI Branch of Leicester & Coventry Network event celebrating Women in Quality on International Women's Day #iwd2021.
In a thought provoking debate, the challenges still being faced in our profession were recognised but also the achievements of 5 female role models including myself were celebrated.
Vincent Desmond, CEO of the CQI, kindly opened the discussion.
“Following my degree of Pharmacology in Industry from Edinburgh University, I worked for a contract research company on Pre-Clinical Safety Pharmacology studies (stroke, pain, Parkinsons) working to Good Laboratory Practice standards.
However after 3 years, I developed Occupational Asthma and was no longer able to work in this department on studies.
Quality Assurance had recognised me for my attention to detail and offered me a secondment to their department and where I ended up staying for 10 years, working to GLP, GCP, GMP CSV, performing internal audits and supplier audits with some world travel involved, training quality and scientific staff and where I was able to do the QMS IRCA ISO9001 Lead Auditor course.
Whilst on Maternity leave with my first child, the company moved their facility out to Verona in Italy and made everyone in Scotland redundant. Via connections from several other job interviews, I was approached by SRM, a cyber security company looking for an auditor to do their ISO9001 and ISO 27001 internal audits and prepare them for re-certification. I was also approached by OH3 Ltd, a private Occupational Health Company, at that point to see them through their ISO9001 certification but as a business decision it ended up being the Occupational Health specific SEQOHS accreditation, very similar in format to the ISO 9001 standards.
From there grew “Qualitait” – my own freelance service for Quality Assurance Services. I now assist mainly Occupational Health Companies (private and in-house public OH departments) or single health practitioners with quality improvement projects, setting up quality management systems and seeing them through accreditations and certifications – perhaps this interest has stemmed from my clinical background and the previous personal Occupational Asthma diagnosis, as well as a personal interest in wellbeing strategies after suffering from post-natal depression after the birth of my second child birth but I know how important it was for me to get back to work and what a major factor work played in my own positive mental health and wellbeing.
Juggling a job and 2 children was and is still difficult and with the pandemic, home-schooling has not made this process any easier.
I have since done my ISO 45001 and ISO 27001 internal auditors courses, Mental Health first aiders course, a Brunel University London Certification in Managing OH services, as well as several other specific courses; OH technician training, OH report writing; Legal and ethical compliance; Lungs at Work Spring webinar series on Occupational Lung Disease, CIEHF DSE assessor course, Drug and Alcohol Policy and Collection Officer training.
I gained my CQP MCQI in 2020, using case studies from my OH audits and since January 2021 have also been working with OH providers to gain UKAS accreditation for ISO 15189 sample collection and ISO 22890 point of care COVID-19 testing.
I think my key attributes are having good emotional intelligence which has helped me to connect with “auditee audiences” and having resilience in situations has moved me forwards to where I am happy and proud to be today.”
As a Network Committee, Leicester & Coventry will be reflecting on the discussions of last night and looking at how they can best build on the momentum within The CQI to recognise and embrace the very best of all available talent within our world of quality!
To stay in touch with this debate and the great programme of events and activities within Leicester & Coventry, please join them on LinkedIn.
