My transport career actually began in South Africa, where I was offered a temporary role - opening the subsidised bus market to private small to medium-sized enterprises and effectively unpicking the legacy of an apartheid government. The opportunity to work on something truly meaningful really appealed to me, so when the position became permanent, I then went on to work on projects to overhaul strategic transport planning and governance in three major cities.
Once back in the UK, I joined the Department for Transport and worked in the Civil Service for 17 years across a variety of roles. This included a stint in local transport (remember the White Paper of 2011 and the Local Sustainable Transport Fund?), skills and innovation (where thousands of apprenticeships were created through government procurement), COVID response, and finally in rail passenger experience.
At every point in my career, it’s been really important to me to feel that I’m making a valuable social and economic contribution – whether by helping people to get around for work and leisure, or to embark on their own meaningful career in transport. In my current role at First Bus, I get to do that in a much more hands-on way by working in partnership with local and national government.
Facing gender bias in a male-dominated industry
We all know there’s a gender imbalance in transport, so early in my career I became accustomed to working amongst a male majority. In general, transport is a really brilliant and welcoming industry to work in – I wouldn’t have stayed so long if it weren’t. But I’ve also had many a situation where a stakeholder has automatically looked to a male – sometimes more junior – colleague for advice, probably because they’ve made certain assumptions about who is better qualified to respond.
It can be tough to call these sorts of behaviours out as people often don’t even realise they’re doing it, and I certainly didn’t have the confidence to do so early on in my career. I’ve generally dealt with these situations by always making sure I know my stuff – often being overprepared – and people have soon realised that I was worth talking to. But it shouldn’t have to be like that.
Having confidence in yourself and your abilities is key to making your voice heard. Whilst I don’t have to work as hard to be heard as my career has progressed, it’s important that as senior leaders we create an environment where every voice is valued. We need to support and encourage women early on in their careers to build up their confidence and expertise. We also need to make sure that everyone in our businesses understands unconscious bias and how to overcome it.
The importance of representing the communities you serve
In 2023, we shouldn’t still be asking why we need diversity. The fact that people are asking shows there’s still a way to go to ensure that our sector fully represents the communities we serve, right the way up to the boardroom. This is our social and moral obligation as employers.
Public transport carries many different types of people every single day, and I believe that businesses and policy makers must fully understand the passenger experience to deliver a good service. If we fail to bring this diversity to a business, we risk groupthink and a real lack of positive progress.
Attracting and retaining diverse talent
Recruitment is so important, and I do see positive changes happening all the time. I’m a firm believer that apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programmes are great for bringing in people who might never have thought of a career in transport – including women. Working in partnership with local authorities can be so helpful when promoting opportunities, helping employers to access the people who’d benefit from them most – whether that be through schools, colleges, community groups, charities, or even other employers.
Of course, a welcoming working environment is crucial for keeping employees happy. This isn’t just about the physical environment, but also the culture and day-to-day support for people. Mentoring and buddying schemes that I’ve taken part in have all been great, but they need to be sustained and they won’t work in isolation.
A rewarding career that goes beyond the vehicle
I don’t think we do enough in transport to promote what a fantastic career the industry offers. From policy making and operations, to the public and private sector, there really are endless opportunities for people to progress and make a rewarding career for themselves.
But it’s transport’s social and economic role that’s really underplayed. Transport is an enabler – it underpins so much activity across the country. In my view, the vehicles themselves are secondary. We need to continue working with employers and the government to get this message across and attract more people – and especially women – to the transport sector.
Catherine DeMarco is partnerships director at First Bus.
Get involved and celebrate International Women’s Day 2023 by visiting www.internationalwomensday.com
