Expert interview with Charlotte Downes, Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Fonterra. Change-maker, mum and Masters Graduate.
Charlotte Downes left school at 16 and spent her first working years ringing strangers from the phone book and knocking on doors to sell $3,000 vacuum cleaners. It paid off when she went for her first office job and the CEO told her that if she could door-knock, she could work there. She’s now Head of DE&I at Fonterra, and at 40 she went back to study and finished a master’s.
💡 The shame nobody sees: For her research, Charlotte interviewed women who’d skipped uni and still built big careers, and she expected to hear about barriers. What she didn’t expect was the shame. One woman, who runs a global tech company, shut her office door and whispered that only her family and mentor know she never finished her degree.
💡 Be clear what the bar is: Charlotte’s favourite example is a job ad she spotted asking for a degree and 18 years’ experience (super precise). We often use a degree as shorthand, when what the role needs is someone who can think, communicate and learn fast. So why not test for that? It’s not about lowering the bar, but being honest about where it sits – that tech founder would see ‘degree required’ and you’d never get to meet her.
💡 You’ll never be ready: So many of us hold off on the promotion until we’ve done one more course or got one more certificate. If the qualification will move you forward, go and get it, but don’t let it become the reason you wait. Some people learn in lecture theatres, some from books and some from life – but none of it counts until you put your hand up.
Powrsuit replaces exclusive, time-intensive professional development with small actions that work around real life. Join now to access this, and over 70 more bite-sized lessons, along with peer coaching, a private network and plenty of other member benefits.
"I have often had more qualifications than my bosses, which made it clear to me that qualifications aren’t the secret to success!"
