Suzanne Ryan

“It wasn’t that people didn’t care,” she explains. “It’s just that nobody really talked about it. Now, there’s an openness to doing more across our business. We’re welcoming discussions about inclusion and driving diversity and that sense of belonging.”

She is currently focused on promoting and celebrating gender diversity in the company. “As a Senior Leadership Team (SLT) member and as a woman, I have always thought it was important to be visible to my colleagues. For me, it’s important to see gender representation and diversity in the country and group leadership teams,” she says.

With support from her senior colleagues and ISS’s Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging team, Suzanne has the mandate to do just that. She is part of her country’s diversity group, heading up a pillar on gender diversity. She is also co-chair of the Gender Employee Resource Group (ERG) across the UK and Ireland. 

Looking externally, Suzanne also represents ISS Ireland as a member of the 30% Club campaign, which aims to achieve a better gender balance at leadership levels in business. 

“I’m excited to be taking on this new brief, including joining the fledgling gender ERG as co-chair, and I’m starting to think about all the things we can achieve,” Suzanne says.

“I think if we do this right, it’s not only about getting a better gender balance in roles across the organisation. It’s also about creating an environment where colleagues don’t have to change to fit in; they fit in just as they are.”

She cites ISS’s recent menopause awareness campaign as an example of how even simple steps can make all the difference. 

“To see something like the menopause acknowledged and talked about openly in the workplace was powerful. For me, that campaign is important because it’s about  being able to share your experiences in a safe environment and seek the relevant supports you need. That, to me, is the very essence of belonging in the workplace.”