Power 50 Publication - Flipbook - Page 19
Page 19
Lesley Tyler
Head of Events & Holidays,
Gray Dawes
Lesley started in the events world by
accident, after being asked to oversee a
sales team conference and booking client
hospitality. She moved into an agency role
and from there her passion grew. “I have
managed corporate hospitality villages at
numerous major sporting events including
Royal Ascot and The Championships,
Wimbledon, and run conferences and
incentives across the globe. More recently
I moved into the world of events within a
TMC at Gray Dawes.”
Most memorable moment:
This is a tricky one as there have been so
many but standing in the Gardens by the
Bay in Singapore, late at night after an
amazing five-day conference and gala
dinner, with my team, and being
congratulated by all the guests on what a
fantastic job we had done made me feel
an enormous sense of pride.
Proudest professional achievement:
Managing a corporate hospitality village
at The Championships, Wimbledon for
several years, working with suppliers and
staff to design, build and run the village to
the highest quality and pushing myself to
come up with new and innovative ideas.
Person who most inspired me:
My first boss in the events agency world,
Sarah Furness, who on my first day
climbed under a desk to plug my computer in and showed me that we would never
ask a colleague to do something we
would not do ourselves. That moment has
stayed with me throughout my career and
to this day it is something I believe in.
Sarah was a great leader, and I don’t think
I would be where I am today if I hadn’t
started out with such an awesome boss.
Lisa Upton
Co-Founder & Managing Director,
Inspirational Venue Solutions
Lisa started a sales administrator job at
HBI back in 2007, and quickly developed a
passion for the events industry, moving
across both the sales and operations
departments and supporting the management board. When HBI was acquired by
Grass Roots, she took on more responsibilities including the supplier relations side,
and gained a seat on the board. She left
Grass Roots after “seven happy years”,
with an amazing list of supplier contacts. “I
launched Inspirational Venues & Events
and over the past (almost) 8 years, we
have grown to a team of 10+ event
specialists managing an annual venue
spend of more than £15m globally.”
Most memorable moment:
The moment I realised that my team
doesn't work for me, I work for my team
(thanks Gary Vaynerchuk). We all play a
vital role in the success of the business,
and I found leading purely by example
speaks volumes.
Stephanie Utting
Managing Director, emc3
After completing her degree in Events
Management at Bournemouth University,
Stephanie rose through the ranks at emc3,
from event producer to account manager,
operations director and in 2020 was
appointed to the role of managing
director. “I worked my way up understanding each area in the company. I always
had my sights on being MD and running
the company, but I wanted to make sure I
had the skill set and empathy to understand most roles I would be leading in the
future.”
Proudest professional achievement:
Overcoming the Covid crisis and being
stronger for it. Figuring out a good
work-life balance and empowering the
team to take on the same - leading by
example.
Person who most inspired me:
People who most inspire me:
Inspiring the next generation:
Inspiring the next generation:
At HBI there was a fierce account director
who totally inspired me. Super sassy,
immaculately dressed, incredibly busy
and organised, she always exceeded
expectations for clients, suppliers, industry
peers and colleagues. She sadly left the
industry many years ago to launch her
own boutique business which of course is
a raging success too. Jayne, if you’re
reading this, thank you!
I think instilling female leadership from
Primary school age would certainly help.
Reinforcing throughout Secondary school
and showing a clear path on how people
can become leaders (male or female)
and that female leadership in male
dominated industries certainly is possible.
The owners of emc3, for their ability to
adapt where necessary but ultimately
always having empathy and genuinely
caring for the individuals they work with.
They put more importance on their
employees’ well-being than anything else,
and it goes a long way. That is why I have
worked there for the last decade and
couldn't imagine working anywhere else in
the future.
All female leaders need to be loud and
proud about their accomplishments and
not hold back. It is important for the next
generation to feel that being a female
leader, especially within the events
industry, is more normal than it ever has
been.
