GRADUATE NAMED IN TIMEWISE POWER 50 AWARDS 
01 March 2019
(Timewise news release available here; Diageo interview with Belinda Brown can be found here).
Belinda Brown, BSc Finance 2004, MSc Finance 2005, has been named in the 2019 Power 50 Awards, the annual list that celebrates the most outstanding senior business figures that work flexibly from across the UK, which is published by Timewise.
The Timewise Power 50 list was created in 2012 to dispel the myth that it was impossible to be part-time and senior. As well as celebrating individual achievements, the annual list has helped to raise the profile and improve the status of flexible working as a whole.
Belinda, who is Global Audit and Risk Director at Diageo PLC, leads the company’s internal audit agenda for both Africa and Europe. Her role involves partnering with, and challenging, senior business leaders to ensure they have the right measures in place to protect Diageo’s reputation and to meet appropriate standards and regulations.
Travelling extensively, Belinda works compressed hours within a four day working week, a pattern which she carried over into her promotion straight after returning from maternity leave.
Belinda, who joined Diageo in 2013, previously worked with L’Oréal prior to which she was a consultant with Deloitte. As a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) she has volunteered as a mentor.
Recognised for the success in her career, Belinda was promoted to her current role just four months after returning from maternity leave. Commenting on her inclusion in the list, Joan Hodgins, Europe HR Director at Diageo, said: “We’re delighted to have Belinda recognised in this year’s Timewise Power 50 awards.
“Belinda’s commitment, passion and hard work has seen her successfully grow her career within Diageo’s Global Audit & Risk function and she is truly an inspiration to all.
“We know that the success of our business depends on the success of our people and we are firmly committed to creating an environment where all our employees feel included and able to perform at their best in all aspects of their lives.”
Timewise co-founder Karen Mattison, MBE, said: “The Timewise Power 50 List has become a beacon of hope – shining a light on what’s possible in the working world.
“What’s clear this year, is that the so-called quiet revolution in the workplace has suddenly found its voice. The idea that part-time work is a ‘nice to have’ concession made for mums, has gone.
“With five generations all working alongside each other in the modern workplace, and working flexibly for all kinds of reasons, we are seeing a shift from individuals ‘making it work somehow’ to employers adjusting the structures and workings of their organisations to fit this societal shift.”
Commenting on her working arrangements at Diageo Belinda said: “I returned to work when our son was seven months old. I came back on a four-day week and my husband took shared parental leave to be at home with our son full-time for the first three months after my return. Both of those flexible offerings made my transition back to work so much easier for me.
“Our son is now almost two and I manage my working days so that I get to pick him from nursery and spend a little time with him in the evening before starting his bedtime routine. I choose to work a longer than usual “working day” from Monday to Thursday but the flipside of that is that I rarely work on Fridays or weekends.
“I read somewhere about there being no such thing as work-life balance but rather there is a work-life rhythm. This resonates with me so much. Agile working means that I can manage my time to build the other important things in my work and life into my day.”
To submit graduate news items, or for general enquiries about this story, please contact Gerry Power, Communications Officer, Development and Alumni Relations Office, Queen's University Belfast or telephone: +44 (0)28 9097 5321.
Photo credit: Timewise
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