Hello Sally! Tell us a little about yourself?
I’m Sally, I have had a successful career in travel & tourism for 33 years. I began that career at Saga, staring off in the accounts department and became the first woman and youngest person appointed to the Saga Holiday board of directors. I was subsequently appointed to manage the refurbishment and development of Brogdale Collections, The Home of the National Fruit Collection, from a Visitor and Tourism perspective. I have also sold eggs on a market stall in London age 14, dealt with local housing tenancies for a local authority, and worked for Visit Kent initially setting up the welcome from Kent for the 2012 olympics! You could say I like to keep busy, this is probably due to my mother always finding me jobs to do if I sat in one place for too long!
Why do you think it’s important to celebrate International Women’s Day?
I think it’s important to celebrate international women’s day because women face the issues of juggling a successful career and a home life which generally speaking men, because of old fashioned attitudes, have not had to do. Thankfully this is changing. Also, it’s important to celebrate that we are fully equal but different, remembering all women in the UK only had the right to vote for government in the last 90 years, recognising most men only got full voting rights some ten years before women.
This year’s theme is #ChooseToChallenge. Tell us about a time when you were faced with an obstacle that you challenged.
Challenges... there are so many that I would rather share a mantra that has helped me though life, and that is: always do your best, always treat others as you would like to be treated, always look for the good in people, always pick yourself up ready to start again and always look on the bright side of life.
Tell me a time you felt the most empowered.
Setting up the Kent welcome for 2012 and recruiting some 200 volunteers to welcome visitors all over Kent!
What was your dream job as a little girl?
My dream job was to be a mounted police woman!
If you could have dinner with 3 women, dead or alive, who would they be and why?
Three women I’d love to have dinner with are, Catherine The Great because of her determination and succeeding in a completely male dominated world. Joanna Lumley for her fund raising and I think she’d be really good fun, Phoebe Waller-Bridge a modern day brilliant writer, actress and would be a blooming good laugh!
What’s one piece of advice you would give to 18 year old you?
Trust in yourself.
What is a change you would like to see for women in the next generation?
I’d like to see more males given the role of home and child upbringing, it is still seen as ‘the woman’s role’ and many men whether they want to be involved or not feel stigmatised.
What is your favourite thing about being a woman?
I love being a mother and grandmother and all that goes with that! (Except if they run around with chocolate in the house!)
Edge o’ Beyond is inspired by you and has a range named after you. Who is a woman that inspires you and why?
I don’t have one woman that inspires me, it’s more the women who deal with adversity everyday, going unnoticed, holding the family together and supporting their loved ones.
How does wearing lingerie make you feel?
Wearing edge o’ beyond lingerie makes me feel sexy, empowered and desirable.
What’s your favourite EOB range?
I love Sally of course!
Each EOB lingerie + swim range is inspired by + named after a wonderful real-life woman. We're extending our celebration of International Women's Day 2021 + taking the opportunity to introduce you to some of them.
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