Why Male Allies Matter: Gary Clarke on Supporting WIRE

Over the last year, I have been a member of the recently formed Women In Revenues and Enforcement (WIRE) association. Having worked in both local government and enforcement for over 20 years, I have been fortunate to work with some brilliant women throughout my career, and I felt WIRE was an association well worth supporting.

I attended a WIRE event in Manchester entitled Bridging the Gap: Your Career Growth and Equitable Hiring. One thing that stood out was that, apart from one of the speakers, Elliot Sharpe of Page Group, I was the only male member in the room.

For me, the event was incredibly useful. It was valuable to hear others’ lived experiences when considering the next steps in their careers and to reflect on some of the barriers that still exist. One statistic that particularly stood out was that men may apply for a role when they meet around 53% of the essential criteria, whereas women may wait until they meet closer to 83%.

We all have moments of self-doubt when applying for roles, but often these can be eased by having an informal conversation with the recruiting manager before applying. Most job adverts now include contact details and, from my own experience as a former manager involved in recruitment, it is always positive to hear from prospective candidates.

Following the Manchester event, WIRE held another event just outside Chesterfield on 16 July alongside Ascendant Solutions. I was pleased to attend on behalf of Rundles as it was another great opportunity to bring people together from across the sector, share experiences and continue the conversations around career development, confidence and opportunity.

Rundles are pleased to support WIRE because we recognise the value of creating space for honest conversations about career progression, confidence and opportunity across the revenues and enforcement sector. Many of us have benefited from the guidance, encouragement and experience of others during our careers, and supporting WIRE is one way of helping that continue for others.

Events like these are a useful way to meet new people and learn what might be holding them back from a potential career move. If I can help and encourage just one person to take a chance, then I think that is a step in the right direction.

Supporting WIRE is not about taking over the conversation. It is about listening, learning and helping to create the right environment for people to progress with confidence.

I am looking forward to continuing my support for WIRE and would encourage more male colleagues, whether from local government or the enforcement industry, to get involved in future events. If we want to see positive change, we need to be part of the conversation

.