Ahead of International Women’s Day on 8th March, we are shining spotlight on the ways in which Ploughshare aligns with and recognises the importance of this year’s theme: ‘Give to Gain’, placing a focus on the value of volunteering, mentoring, donating, or sharing knowledge, resources, visibility, and more to work towards gender equality.
At Ploughshare, we encourage the team at all levels of the business to take time away for volunteering days each year for any cause or organisation they choose, giving their time, energy, ideas, and effort where it can make a difference. Our HR team explain this benefit further:
“Ploughshare offers volunteering days to give colleagues dedicated time to contribute to causes they care about, recognising that this is time many may not otherwise have. It provides opportunities to support families, communities, and personal interests through meaningful experiences that help people maintain balance alongside work commitments.
“This approach reflects our commitment to employee wellbeing, fulfilment, and job satisfaction, helping to create a culture where people feel valued both in and outside of work. Volunteering also strengthens connections with the communities we operate in and reinforces a supportive and inclusive environment.
“Providing volunteering days reflects who we are as an organisation and our commitment to social responsibility, demonstrating that we value the positive contribution our people can make beyond their day-to-day roles. These values align closely with the spirit of International Women’s Day and our wider organisational purpose.”
– Victoria Parkes, HR Manager, and Abby Dixon, HR Co-ordinator
How do the Ploughshare team use their volunteering days?
From discovering new causes, to dedicating additional time to causes the team are already part of, and supporting a better work-family balance – hear from just some of our team members below on how they choose to use their volunteering days:
“Work and the person don’t separate – you bring your whole self with you. That’s why working for an organisation that actively encourages you to give time back to the causes that matter to you is so powerful. I’m proud to have been able to continue my role as a Trustee of The Survivors Trust, a national rape and sexual abuse charity, and to share my experience in support of the incredible team and the survivors they serve.”
– Helen Brown, CMO
“I’ve been a Trustee of the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society (SMS) for over a decade, after being invited to join the Board due to my experience of running national welfare support services utilising geographically dispersed teams of volunteers. Set up the 1800s for those shipwrecked around the British coastline, the charity now focusses more on supporting seafarers and their dependants who have fallen on hard times. My role on the Board combines developing the charity’s strategy, prudent stewardship of its investments to ensure we have the money to make grants, monitoring the changes in welfare needs to ensure we’re alive to the problems on the ground, and ensuring the staff team has the support and resources it requires.
“I’m also the Safeguarding Lead for the charity, which is such an important role given that we’re ultimately a charity supporting often vulnerable people. I bring an element of gender, age, and thought diversity to the Board which – although very dedicated – is not very diverse, and I was the first Trustee to ever go on maternity leave (twice)! I’m delighted Ploughshare offers volunteering days so I can continue to offer my support to SMS. It’s a privilege to serve the charity as a Trustee, and every year we give bravery awards to those that have undertaken often perilous rescues at sea over the year; it’s very humbling to hear the accounts.”
– Liz Price, COO
“I volunteered for 18 months for EVAWG Wiltshire, a coalition group that aims to end violence against women and girls through education, empowerment and collaboration with the community, and create a safer county for all. I joined almost at the inception of the group, helping them with the admin side. I recently passed the baton on to someone who could dedicate more time to what started as eight people round a table, and is now about 30 members, including people from education, law, the police, women’s refuges and charities focussed on the safety of women and girls.
“The hope of the group is that other counties will follow suit and create something similar. It has been hugely rewarding and I look forward to seeing the impact already being made continue. The part I have played in the group would not have been possible without the volunteer days available to us at Ploughshare.”
– Gussie Smythe, Head of Executive Office
“One of the things I value most at Ploughshare is being able to use my volunteering days to support my daughters’ school. This can include things like helping at a sports event or accompanying a school trip, and I love that it enables me to show up for my children and be more present for them, while supporting the wider school community as well. These days give me more than I give, and I come back to work feeling grounded, energised, and more balanced between my two worlds.
“As a working mum, the flexibility to do this makes a real difference. It takes away the constant juggling act and the quiet guilt that can come with having to choose between work and family. Both are important, and being an engaged parent is something that should be encouraged and facilitated, not squeezed in around the edges. Supporting women isn’t just about big statements or policies, it’s also about practical, human things like giving people the space to be there for their children and communities.“
– Charlene Lloyd, Portfolio Manager – IP Lead
“Over the last three years, Ploughshare’s volunteering days have enabled me to contribute to the work of the Royal Academy of Engineering as a panel assessor for the Enterprise Fellowship programme. The accelerator supports graduate start-ups and researchers spinning out of universities to build the next generation of deep-tech businesses. Successful candidates receive 12 months of funding, training, coaching and mentoring.
“My role involved reviewing applications and interviewing candidates for the programme as part of a review panel. It has been a privilege to be part of the Enterprise Fellowships which support the next generation of deep tech engineering entrepreneurs. I was blown away by the passion and commitment of the applicants and the incredible engineering technologies they have developed to solve some of the biggest challenges across sectors, from energy to healthcare and beyond. It has also been a wonderful opportunity to work with the incredible Royal Academy of Engineering colleagues and fellow panel members, who are world experts in their respective fields.”
– Hannah Hjalmarsson, Head of New Business Development
“Ploughshare’s volunteering days really encouraged me to think about how I could give more. I used that time to train with SSAFA, which opened the door to becoming a volunteer caseworker supporting veterans and their families – something I never would have discovered otherwise. That experience reinforced my enthusiasm to give more and strengthen community, which I’m also bringing into my role on the North West Regional Defence & Security Cluster steering board, where I’m passionate about celebrating women and pushing for greater diversity and equity across our sector.“
– Megan Hatton, Senior Commercialisation Manager
What opportunities are there to give back within Ploughshare?
Within Ploughshare, we have a people’s voice forum called VOX, where a group of team members from across the business give their time to come together to discuss and suggest ideas on how to make Ploughshare a continually better place to work – addressing challenges and issues raised, and maintaining the positive feedback we receive in the staff surveys. The VOX team work closely with HR and our Executive team to create meaningful change in the business and improve employee wellbeing and satisfaction. One of our VOX members shares why she enjoys being part of this initiative below:
“One of my favourite things about VOX is hearing and appreciating the diversity of thought and experience we have not just within VOX but within Ploughshare as a whole. It’s enlightening to hear how differently others experience life at Ploughshare, but it’s really empowering to be able to listen and then work together to find common ground and hopefully create changes that are beneficial to everyone.”
– Sandy Fisher John, Commercialisation Manager
More broadly, Ploughshare has also taken part in the Women in Defence (WID) Mentoring programme, providing professional support, guidance, relationship building and networking opportunities to women earlier in their defence careers as mentees, and supporting the programme with both men and women with more experience as mentors. One of our colleagues shares her experience of being a mentee on this programme below:
“I found the WID mentoring programme really helpful when I was new to defence. I joined Ploughshare after many years in the Energy industry, and it helped me learn about more about how the procurement side of Defence works. I was then able to implement this understanding into my broader experience and background in licensing and commercial exploitation, supporting my knowledge building of the defence sector, and development in my role. Although Ploughshare’s remit doesn’t extend into Procurement, it is increasingly important for us to know how those rules can impact our deal flow.”
– Helen Waugh, Senior Commercialisation Manager and Licensing Lead
Looking ahead: upholding these values
We’re proud to offer these volunteering and mentoring opportunities at Ploughshare, contributing to our aim of giving our team a supportive, inclusive, flexible working experience where they can have the space and time to be part of groups and actions they care about. Below, our CEO shares why providing this opportunity is so important to her, and why this will always continue to be a priority for Ploughshare:
“To me, it is absolutely essential that we recognise and facilitate opportunities for our employees to give their time to causes they care about and that make a difference to the people and world around us. Outside of Ploughshare, I am the Chair of the Board at Refuge, England’s largest specialist domestic abuse service provider, and the Co-Founder of the Joanna Simpson Foundation, which works to protect children affected by domestic abuse and homicide. Being able to contribute my time and efforts more broadly across these causes I care deeply about is hugely important to me, and I want everyone working at Ploughshare to feel encouraged and supported to do the same.
“It is brilliant to see these opportunities being utilised in such a wide ranging, meaningful way by our team, and this is just one part of how we live up to our values and provide a flexible, inclusive culture at Ploughshare.”
– Hetti Barkworth Nanton CBE, CEO
