Women in Sign: Leading Change

How did you come to be involved with the sign industry, and what has your career looked like to date?

I started my career in print and signage during my final year of university. I saw an advert on the university job board about a company looking for a part-time Marketing Coordinator and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to get some experience whilst working on my dissertation.

After almost a year of part-time work at FaberExposize UK/ Northern Flags I was offered a full-time position as a Marketing Executive which I accepted. Over the past year and a half, my role has really evolved and I have gone from supporting a Marketing Director to running all marketing initiatives and activities by myself.

Do you feel there are enough women in the sign industry, and if not, how can we tackle this?

I do see sign and print as predominantly male-dominated industries, but at the same time, I see more women in office-based jobs such as Account Management, Estimating, Marketing, and Finance Management within those industries.

So in a way, the saturation of men and women depends on the nature of the job. LinkedIn is a great tool for connecting with other women in the sign industry and spreading the word about the different career paths you can take in signage and print.

What's your proudest career moment to date? 

My proudest career moment would have to be winning a Rising Star award at the UK Graphic Awards. When starting a career in a foreign country you face a lot of uncertainty, and you tend to doubt yourself a lot. Getting nominated for an award and later on winning it was the reassurance I needed that I was on the right path and I was doing something right.

How did you come to be involved with the sign industry, and what has your career looked like to date?

I always had an interest in art throughout school and after a couple of years studying Graphics & 3D Design in college I decided that technical ‘on screen’ design was not for me and I much preferred to have a more hands on role. I was lucky enough to find Grapefruit after college and started working in the production room finishing graphics and really developed a love for digital print and production which was rapidly evolving at the time.

I learnt so many skills in those early years of production and install which took me away to different parts of the world. It was exciting to be part of these big events and see your work in real life. I enjoy the hustle of event work, there’s never a quiet moment and when everyone comes together the end results are always amazing to see! After a few years I took on projects of my own with the experience I had gained and became Production Manager.

As many women do I had children and life changed quite a bit, but I love what I do and came back to work after each leave, with a lot less travel! Now, my days are spent working with all the departments and ensuring they have what they need to do the best they can. My heart lies with production still so I try to be hands on when it comes to the quick turnaround jobs and get involved where I can. My long term focus is our future goals, managing our ISO’s and constantly trying to evolve with the products that are being developed and stay focused on sustainability.

Do you feel there are enough women in the sign industry, and if not, how can we tackle this?

I have definitely seen a huge difference, when I started in the industry as an 18 year old I would rarely see women out onsite and it was always quite intimidating to be in such male dominated environments.

Over the years we have had many female Production Workers/ Install & Onsite Event Managers, not just the admin or office based roles that are statistically more likely to be women. I’m not sure there is any obvious answer to getting more women into the signage industry but when we are recruiting we look at people and the skills they bring to a role. Male or female is irrelevant. There is so much more to signage than thinking you need to be a ‘big bloke onsite fitting large signs off cherry pickers’. The planning and organisation involved in signage before you get to the physical onsite delivery can be quite intense and involve multiple subcontractors. The Sign industry has progressed and doesn’t fit the stereotype of work it may once have.

What's your proudest career moment to date? 

There have been so many projects I am proud to have been a part of. London 2012 was a huge personal accomplishment, as Production Manager at that time the amount of graphics printed and produced inhouse was life consuming. We worked a great deal with the Volvo Ocean Race in my early years. My perception of Sailing was completely wrong, and it opened my eyes to the sport and the dangers of it.

I’ve been at Grapefruit for 15 years now and my proudest career moment is probably accepting the ‘Graphic Roll Out’ Award @ the UKGA last year for our work at Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The way Grapefruit as a company recovered from Lockdown’s & Event’s closing due to Covid is a real testament of hard work, loyalty and professionalism shown by the whole team. This project was started in uncertain time’s so remaining positive and determined all of the time had its difficulties. It was a tough couple of years, but I believe Grapefruit are stronger for it and I look forward to what the next couple of years has to offer, there are some exciting projects on the horizon.

How did you come to be involved with the sign industry, and what has your career looked like to date?

Never in my life would I think that I will be working in such an exciting industry! Two years ago I found a job at Vism online and joined as an Executive Assistant. Back then I had a pile of volunteering experiences and was a fresh university master, so joining a UK startup remotely from Ukraine sounded to me like a one-off opportunity. I got involved in talking with users and partners pretty quickly, so my role naturally evolved into a Customer Success, then a Business Development Manager and now I'm in charge of all the development processes and the Vism software itself. 

Do you feel there are enough women in the sign industry, and if not, how can we tackle this?

I would say that I see a difference even between the last two years. When I joined it was mostly middle-aged men with me on the calls and I haven’t felt that I match the industry. And now I'm doing demos for women as new managers, so it slowly changes 🙂 Our team also organises events for the UK print and signage industry, and this year's UK Graphic Awards room was more than 1/3 full of women, which is a huge difference even with UKGA 2021. I would also note the fact that most of these are the young generation, so this is a positive tendency for the market. It inspires me to see young women as passionate about the topic as I am.

What's your proudest career moment to date? 

Honestly, I’m proud of myself each day 🙂 My work involves risk management, creativity, curiosity and communication skills, and constant learning of technical skills. I’m extremely proud to see how Vism software has changed over the past year. We launched features for campaign management, two integrations, redesigned the whole product and just released a fresh mobile app for PMs. Realising this is the result of my team's work is priceless. 
My personal achievement is building signageandprint.com, which is a network of freelance and subcontract installers for printed graphics & signage. I was involved in the ideation process, first trial product and then building the proper product from scratch. S&P feels like a baby to me.

How did you come to be involved with the sign industry, and what has your career looked like to date?

After leaving school I decided I did not want to go into further education, so joined a youth training scheme. This involved a day release to college and 4 days on-site with field practical experience. This took me to a printing company, Primary Print in Blackpool that had a vinyl cutter as well as other small-format printing equipment. I was always interested in sales and after 18 months I was offered a job at Granthams in Preston that gave me the opportunity to move into a new role.

I was initially brought on board to handle showroom sales for Apple computers, but after 2 years moved to the signage department, which involved selling vinyl cutters, printers, flatbed solutions etc. I loved the constant evolution of equipment and worked with some great customers.

After 23 years, I was approached by CMYUK and joined in February 2017 as a Senior Digital Sales Consultant. This offered me a greater range of equipment to sell including large-format cutting tables, EFI VUTEk printers and sublimation solutions. After three years, I was promoted to Sales Director.

Do you feel there are enough women in the sign industry, and if not, how can we tackle this?

I know many women working in leading roles in the sign industry. I don’t think recruitment is a gender issue but more of a misconception of what printing actually is. I don’t think people are fully aware of the significant reach that print has in everyday life. The evolution of digital print production equipment, inks and materials have placed design and creativity right at the heart of print. It’s an incredibly exciting and dynamic industry in which to be involved.

What's your proudest career moment to date? 

Being promoted to Sales Director at CMYUK – a fantastic place to work at the forefront of innovation and a real champion for the customers we serve.

How did you come to be involved with the sign industry, and what has your career looked like to date?

I have been involved in print my entire career in some manner or another. Wide Format Printing is and has been a constant growth within the printing industry.  Drytac’s adhesive science is most important and most likely to change the Wide Format Print industry in creativity, development, and customization.  I feel I will be able to contribute to the progression in my current assignment.

Do you feel there are enough women in the sign industry, and if not, how can we tackle this?

Women have often participated in design and print culture throughout history, yet their impact has typically been neglected and undervalued.  To date there has been an increase of female leaders and owners all around the world.  Even with this happening, there still is a gaping hole in this male dominated print industry.  I implore women to take risks and show that they too can make important decisions or do important things.

What's your proudest career moment to date? 

Overcoming Covid challenges and having to refocus has been my proudest career accomplishment. I put into perspective what the print industry was experiencing in that very uncertain time.  I recreated my efforts with an energized drive to find a career at Drytac filled with passion and purpose.

Women in Sign and Graphics

Izabella Ivanovici and Sarah Winterbottom founded Women in Sign and Graphics (WSG) back in 2020 to inspire, encourage and promote women in the industry.

The group’s purpose is to inspire, encourage and promote women in the industry whilst being part of a group of like-minded individuals sharing ideas and working with Ambassadors to help in our quest for the industry to be more equal.

The aim is to open up more opportunities in the industry for women whilst collaborating with the education sector to encourage the next generation to be aware of what this industry holds for them.

You can find out more about WSG at www.womeninsignsandgraphics.co.uk

On May 10th, there will be a Women in Sign and Graphics Ladies Bootcamp in partnership with Make it Happen. The second Ladies Bootcamp from Make it Happen, the event will take place at SignFab UK’s visitor centre in Leicester.

On what led the pair to found WSG, Winterbottom says: “At the beginning of my career, I often found myself sitting in meetings surrounded by men. Although I have always been able to stand my ground, I often felt marginalized. Both Izabella and I noticed a need for women within the industry. We started to brainstorm how to bring people together and instigate conversations surrounding gender within the workplace. 

Bringing women together through Women in Sign and Graphics provides us with a space to collaborate, encourage one another and feel a part of something. Engaging with like-minded individuals not only allows others to feel seen but also creates a strong foundation for inspiration and inclusivity. 

Ultimately, we don’t want women to feel limited to merely their gender within the workplace, so WSG was founded to raise awareness, share wisdom and generate confidence within the print industry.”

Sarah Winterbottom, managing director of Josero (a Soyang Group company)

How did you come to be involved with the sign industry, and what has your career looked like to date?

Like most people, I accidentally fell into the industry in 1992 when fax rolls were still fashionable, and it went from there! I love the industry and I am still as passionate about it today as I was back then. 

I started in telesales for a distributor in Hull. During that time, I was desperate to get on the road but that wasn’t something a huge amount of women were doing. It was more seen as the ‘men’s job’ to go out traveling, and women were there to make the sales. However, I worked for an enthusiastic female manager with a male director at the time, who were both inspired by my passion and helped me start my journey. 

Now, being in senior positions and most recently as MD of Josero and now Group Sales Director at Soyang Europe has allowed me to reflect on how far I've come in my career. I have been very fortunate to meet some amazing people and go to some amazing places during my 31 years in the industry. I am therefore very passionate about encouraging the younger generations, especially women to become part of it.

Do you feel there are enough women in the sign industry, and if not, how can we tackle this?

Certainly not! It is improving but we have a long way to go. 

I’ve always been aware that we live in a male-dominated society, however, when I first started in the industry, it really shone a light on how much so. I saw this as a challenge, yet despite often having misogynistic comments being thrown my way, I didn’t give up - but I often wonder, how many women did. 

Groups such as Women in Signs and Graphics, FESPA UK, BPIF, and the Printing Charity provide a space where we can work together and try to tackle restrictions faced by women within the industry. However, platforms such as these need to reach a wider audience, and we need to get to the grassroots and work together on one project.

I have been working with Inspirational Learning which is keen to raise awareness in schools of different industries, giving them the knowledge they need to make informed decisions - so I think that's a great start.

What industries such as ours really needs is a government-led initiative. The printing industry is an ageing industry, and if we are not careful, we won’t have the right people or enough people to follow, whether that is male or female. 

What's your proudest career moment to date? 

Surviving being a Woman in the signs and graphics industry!

Seriously though, making it to a senior-level role within the industry at Josero was such an achievement, especially within a male-dominated industry. Becoming managing director of Josero in 2021 before moving into the role of group sales director following the acquisition of Soyang Europe has been an honour. 

Another of my proudest career moments is taking the initiative with Izabella to co-found Women in Signs & Graphics, and to give women a platform to speak from and to prove it is possible to navigate a male-dominated industry. I hope that WSG continues to encourage more women in the future to not let their gender bind them, and allow them to succeed within the print industry.

How did you come to be involved with the sign industry, and what has your career looked like to date?

Like most people, I think, I ended up working in the Signage & Graphics sector through pure coincidence. I just happened to apply for a job with a business that was recruiting in this sector.

Do you feel there are enough women in the sign industry, and if not, how can we tackle this?

I don’t think there are enough women in the industry. Working in recruitment I get to speak with people industry and the vast majority are men. I think more investment in training and development as well as promoting the industry in schools and colleges.

For most people when they think of the print or signage sector they think of a physical manufacturing job. Whilst it is a manufacturing area this is now heavily led by technology. Apart from that there are multiple areas where women can get involved such as; client services, sales, design, project management, etc.

What's your proudest career moment to date? 

The proudest moment has been starting my own business INV Recruitment and making it through the pandemic and now going from strength to strength.