Rupert Cox, CEO of Somerset Chamber of Commerce THE issue of ‘Women in Business’ vibrates around the business world, with successful high profile women making their mark in business and politics.

However, many question an apparent positive discrimination in favour of women, while equally as many suggest more women should be supported to become influential at the highest level.

I am a bit of a fence-sitter on this matter, recognising the importance of creating equal opportunities for both genders but also realising that the cream of the crop will always come to the top – whatever the gender.

The recent Somerset in Business Conference demonstrated my latter assumption perfectly.

While the speaker list had a majority of male contributors, the three women presenting were definitely the most memorable, and not for stereotypical reasons such as looks, age, fashion or heel height, but for the quality and content of their presentations.

Thrinayani Ramakrishnan MYP is a most articulate young woman of 16 who has just completed her GCSEs, but who also found the time as a Member of the UK Youth Parliament to address the 260 Conference delegates. MPs – a stereotypical male dominated arena.

Rachel Davies is the principal of Somerset College. She spoke with such wisdom and passion on the value of higher education and not necessarily through the conventional route of residential University. College Principals or University Deans – another traditional male haven.

Finally we were treated to Caroline Blackman, a director from Laing O’Rourke. Caroline has worked on a number of very high profile infrastructure projects in a distinguished career in construction.

Caroline set out how the Olympic Park offered training, work and careers to some of London’s most deprived areas, and how the Hinkley Point C project could do the same for Somerset. Construction. No place for a woman? – it is now thanks to people like Caroline.

How about the ‘stuffy old’ Chamber of Commerce movement?

The British Chambers has appointed as its President, Nora Senior, a previous winner of ‘UK Businesswoman of the Year’; over a third of the accredited Chambers have women CEOs; and a quarter of the Somerset Chamber Board are women, including our previous chairman.

This is not a new phenomenon for Somerset. I was recently given (not presented) a trophy entitled ‘Somerset Businesswoman of the Year’ that was last awarded in 1997. I will make sure that this award is re-ignited as we recognise the contribution of women to the Somerset business community.