Breakers of the bias
The original Northern Powerhouse was very much centred around the male dominated world of the industrial revolution – the mills and the cotton trade of Manchester. Which is why the home of cotton trading, the Stock Exchange Manchester, was an apt venue a special lunch in honour of International Women’s Day 2022.
General manager of the Stock Exchange Hotel, Jacqui Griffiths, hosted 14 of the region’s leaders in a lunch courtesy of Tom Kerridge at The Bull and Bear. With over 300 years of knowledge and experience in hospitality, finance, law, media and charity, the lunch brought the best and the brightest together.
Organised by Liz Taylor, CEO of event planners the Taylor Lynn Corporation and Liz Taylor Consultancy, lunch followed a champagne reception and featured a Salt Pollock Scotch Egg with Red Pepper Sauce and Grilled Chorizo. Followed by Cornish Cod with Sweet Garlic Puree, Lemon Braised Leeks, Shiitakes and Mushroom Consommé, and completed with a Peanut Butter Crème Brulée, Raspberry Jelly and Banaba Yoghurt Sorbet. Specifically designed for the event with Springbank Flowers, was an elegant table dressed with delicate cotton buds on lengths of bark – a nod to the industrial heritage of the venue.
Jacqui Griffiths said: 'The Bank dining room put many boardrooms to shame. We had our regions most talented business and creative women together. The interesting blend of charity and campaign champions Figen Murray OBE and Baroness Newlove, to BBC Breakfast’s Sally Nugent, actresses Jennie McAlpine and Brooke Vincent, and leading ladies in Manchester’s booming law, PR and finance sectors led to conversations that spanned a wide range of topics.
'The common values though were clear. Each lady shared their experiences around breaking down barriers and bias to succeed in their chosen path or career. And how to stay at the top of your game! I can’t think of a better was to celebrate International Women’s Day than that.'
