Power 50 Publication - Flipbook - Page 10
Page 10
Anna Green
Dina Green
Frances Green
Managing Director, Broadsword
Managing Director, OrangeDoor
Anna trained at the Guildhall School of
Music and Drama and before Broadsword
she was a teacher, which she describes as
an amazing training ground for
leadership. “In 2014, my husband, Matt and
I made the decision to branch out and
build our own event agency. The founders
of Broadsword were friends and we
decided to join forces and reimagine the
company as a full-service agency. At the
start of 2019, I became managing director.
It’s been a steep learning curve and the
last two years have been full of difficult
personal and professional challenges, but
the experience has filled me with
confidence in my own ability.”
Dina began her career at a PR agency
before moving to the world of events as
conference and banqueting manager at
a multi-site venue. This role led Dina to
launch her own creative agency at the
age of 25 where she won big name clients
like Topshop and Barclays. She spent
several years working with the senior
board at Barclays, before moving back
agency-side as MD for EMEA at INVNT, VP
Business Director at Jack Morton and MD
EMEA at Freeman. Dina joined OrangeDoor
as MD at the start of 2020 and had big
plans to grow and develop the business
when the global pandemic hit. Despite
such a challenging time, Dina was still
able to find ways to revitalise and
restructure the agency.
Owner & Managing Director,
Green & Pleasant Events
Most memorable moment:
There was a micebook meeting for
International Women’s Day in March 2021.
Surrounded by the support of my peers, I
spoke for the first time about what had
happened to my business and family at
the start of the pandemic, the huge
pressure I felt as a business owner, a wife
and a mother. It was such a relief to share
my story with people who really
understood and could empathise with
how I was feeling. I think I had been afraid
to show my vulnerability up until this point
and will always remember how much
stronger I felt after that meeting, it was a
turning point.
Proudest professional achievement:
At the end of 2021, Broadsword won an
award for ‘Triumph over Adversity’ – as I
walked up on to the stage to give my
acceptance speech, I felt so proud - not
only of my will, determination and
imagination to lead my business through
to the other side, but also proud of my
team and the events industry as a whole.
Person who most inspired me:
Helen Keller is my idol. I have an immense
respect for her courage and ability to
inspire others; I am simply awe-struck by
it. At the age of two years old, she suffered
an illness leaving her deaf and blind and
unable to communicate at all, but
became a well-known speaker, working on
behalf of others with disabilities and
representing the heroic efforts of ordinary
people to overcome adversity.
Biggest challenge:
Being the only woman in a room full of
men can often be a big challenge and I
have moved on from roles due to the lack
of female leadership and support. It’s
surprising that even in recent times there
are still so many people who talk the talk
but do not walk the walk.
“I am proud to have had so many
roles as a female leader and hopefully this will make it easier for those
that follow.”
Proudest professional achievement:
My proudest achievement is the fact that
so many people that I have worked with
over the years have chosen to come back
and work with me again. I have mentored
people who still call me for advice or
follow me from agency to agency.
Inspiring the next generation:
There are already so many wonderful
female leaders in our industry, but I would
really like to see more diversity coming
through. I am proud to play a part in
finding the next generation of female
leaders through the careers fair at the UK
Creative Festival (which I co-founded). The
festival is committed to helping create
pathways into creative industries, ensuring
a more diverse and representative
workforce.
Frances began her career working for a
publishing company in Mayfair before she
'fell into' the events industry in a sales role
for a global B2B sales summit organiser.
“The job was based in Nice, so I upped
sticks and then got a transfer to their San
Francisco office. After returning to the UK, I
continued to work in events - first for a
venue finding agency and then four
further experiential, incentives and sports
event agencies in London, helping them to
grow their businesses. Having loyal clients
who followed me in those roles, I decided
to start and grow my own business in
2014.”
Most memorable moment:
I've never really seen myself as a female
leader. But I suppose it gradually dawned
on me that there were not enough of us
about - female agency owners. When I set
up my agency, I felt incredibly driven to
prove that this space was not just for
white middle-aged men and that I was
going to succeed.
Proudest professional achievement:
We were invited to pitch against two
rather large agencies for a big job that
turned out to be a series of jobs. It was just
me and two employees at the time and
we were the underdog. Through sheer
determination, lack of greediness and
creative drive we won the business, and
that client has remained loyal ever since.
People who most inspired me:
There are too many to name, but they
include my first event agency boss who
loaned me a deposit for my first flat. It
really made me think about the importance of caring for people you work with
beyond the office walls. Arabella El
Barkouki - wow - what a powerhouse of a
woman. You were so supportive when I
started up my business and your positivity
and strength really inspired me. Caroline
Wiseman – you have always been an
inspiration for as long as I've known
you – kind, hard- working and driven. Juliet
Price – I still remember what you did for
me when I was a rookie, and I won't forget
that.
