Blog
Written on 08.03.23
As part of a series for International Women’s Day, here at Aurora, we’ve interviewed three women that work in different divisions within the business. This is to get a well rounded view on what it is actually like to work, as a woman, in a mostly male dominated industry.
In the first part of our International Women’s Day series, we meet Aimee Linehan, a Contracts manager from Ipswich. Aimee is a female Contracts Manager within the business and has been with us for almost 3 years. We talk to Aimee about her experiences so far at Aurora.
Tell us a bit about yourself…
I’m 37, from Norwich and a single mum to a 4 and a half year old. The majority of my time is either at work or with my son, and that is basically my life these days. I’m very big on fashion, handbags in particular, all those kind of proper girly things. I also like to travel.
What’s it been like working at Aurora so far?
I would say the whole company are pretty supportive, especially the sales guys, for sure. They’re always at the end of the phone, and because I am out of industry, I know I can easily call and ask a daft question. Some of my colleagues will say that women don’t tend to last in sales. I’ve lasted quite a while, three years this November.
How does it feel to work in a male dominated industry?
I like working in this industry. I’m a proper girl’s girl, working in a male dominated industry, but I never get treated any differently and, when I go into the office, I’m never the one that makes the tea either. It’s also been good working for Aurora as a mum as they’re very understanding, and I’m in charge of my own workload.
What advice would you give to women wanting to enter a position like yours?
Just to go for it! I think it can be daunting, especially if you think about going into a meeting with all the sales guys. I would be walking into the room as the only woman, but once you get through that door and you just get over it, then it’s absolutely fine and actually you don’t get treated any differently.
What is your proudest achievement whilst working at Aurora?
My proudest achievement is retaining a client that wanted to leave us when I joined. I managed to get them and another partner to agree to another 4 year deal with myself. They were really grilling me, but I think they quite liked me. It was one of my biggest sales actually and the hardest for sure.
Which women inspire you the most?
From a young age, I always knew what I wanted and was very self-driven and that was my inspiration – to do well for myself. I knew that if I wanted to achieve what I wanted – my own house etc., I had to go out and work hard for it. I’ve never been one to rely on a partner, I’ve solely relied on myself. However, I’d say my more soft and caring side is very much from my nan and my mum and is where my love of animals comes from.
How do you influence your colleagues around you and the wider business?
I think people are quite impressed by the amount that I take on and what I do, so I think that’s quite a motivation for the other people around me, and a lot of the time they’re surprised by how much I deal with. I don’t think I’ve let my boss down ever and over time he’s trusted me with larger and better accounts, because I’ve shown that I definitely work hard and I definitely do what I’m here to do.
What does this year’s International Women’s Day theme #EmbraceEquity mean to you?
Embracing equity to me starts with embracing your true self and knowing what you want to achieve. No matter what gender, sexuality or religion you may be, we need to be true to ourselves and hope that doing so inspires others to have the confidence to do the same.
What do you love doing outside of work?
It sounds really boring but on a weekend, I love being with my family and friends, because this job, even though it’s great, it is very pressurised. You’ve got to be driven the whole week, so it’s nice sometimes on a Saturday to not be doing anything for a couple of hours and just pottering around and being with people you love.
What 3 things motivate you?
To enable myself and my son to have a good standard of living, learn new skills and not fear a challenge, even when you sometimes feel like the odd one out. (Only Woman in salesforce) and be a Woman/Mum my son is proud of.
To arrange a consultation with Aimee on your business’ printing needs, e-mail alinehan@aurora.co.uk or call on 07754752118.
If you’re thinking to embark on a career in sales, or if you would like to know more about our vacancies, visit our vacancies page
