Anne-Marie joined The Women’s Organisation in early August as Business Adviser & Facilitator. Anne-Marie has been learning the ropes for the past few weeks, shadowing other business advisers, and will start seeing clients very soon. Not only will she be seeing clients, but she will also be facilitating some of our courses.
We are excited to have Anne-Marie as part of The WO family and would love for you to get to know her too.
What’s your full name and where are you from?
Anne-Marie Swift was Born and raised in St Helens but lived a lot of my adult life in different places in the South of the UK.
Tell me how you first found out about The Women’s Organisation and become part of our team.
I’ve known The WO for several years and have been a member of the business club in the past. I’ve always admired The WO, what it stands for, and the work that it does so when the opportunity to apply for a role here came up, I jumped at the chance.
What kind of things have you done prior to coming to The Women’s Organisation?
I’ve spent many years in the corporate world, particularly in the areas of health and pharmaceuticals. I specialised in ophthalmology (eye care) and led a European team for Pfizer supporting the ophthalmology part of the business. I left Pfizer 11 years ago to start my own consultancy business and have delivered business support, coaching, training, and strategy work to businesses of all sizes and to individuals as well. I set up the Women in Business Network for the North West in 2015 (including groups in Liverpool, the Wirral, and St Helens) and ran this up to 2021. I have also been a part-time Associate Tutor in the Business School of Edge Hill University since 2020 delivering accredited courses in Leadership, Management, Coaching, and Mentoring, to Small to Medium Sized Enterprises across Lancashire.
What has surprised you about working at The Women’s Organisation?
The a huge amount of positivity and optimism. The sense of community. The beers are in the bottom of the fridge 😊
What’s the best thing about working at The Women’s Organisation so far?
Getting to know the team and feeling welcomed and valued. The sense that everyone is working towards common aims with shared values. How generous everyone has been with their time and energy.
What might (someone) be surprised to know about you?
I played netball at quite a senior level from my teens into my 30s, representing St Helens and Merseyside. I also played in the premier league and only missed the England team trials because I managed to dislocate my knee (which also ended my serious netball career…)
What are your top 3 favorite films?
The Greatest Showman
The Devil Wears Prada
West Side Story (both original and newer versions).
What do you do when you aren’t working?
I’m a Rugby League fanatic with a season ticket and membership of St Helens RLFC. This means that I go to all the home games, and as many away games as possible (both the men’s and women’s teams). I’m really looking forward to the Rugby League world cup which (literally) kicks off this October in the UK.
If you could change anything in the world, what would you change?
I’d eliminate period poverty by making sanitary protection available free of charge for all women on a global scale.
Thanks, Anne-Marie – We are so glad to have you as part of the team.