Tamara Lohan MBE’s Post

Last week’s Women in Work Summit was highly personal. I brought my husband/ally/partner, James Lohan MBE on stage, talking about what it’s really like to build a business together. Thank you to Debbie Wosskow, OBE for asking all the right questions! It still surprises me that investors shy away from married co-founders. Who has a stronger incentive to make it work than two people who share their life, their vision, and their respect for each other? Partnership, in work or life, shouldn’t be treated as a risk. It’s one of the most powerful assets we have. The rest of the day was electric. Alex Mahon and Martha Lane Fox pushed us to think hard about the backward steps we’re seeing on equality and what real progress would take. Their advice to all of us: "This is what you should ask for from yourself and from your male allies at work. Ask those allies for visibility, for stretch assignments, for promotions. Ask them to challenge bias in the moment, build your personal brand, use the networks." Huge thanks to Laura Biggs and Mariella Frostrup for curating a wonderful day.