Women in Zzoomm with Cheryl Burgess
My name is Cheryl Burgess and I am the Regional Director for the Midlands.
After 13 years in the Royal Air Force, I was afforded the opportunity to join the Telecoms industry. I worked in several roles as a Senior Project Manager, Fibre Engagement Manager, Regional Change manager and Senior Area Manager for a large engineering team.
I am so grateful to be part of the amazing team at Zzoomm and I am very excited to be part of the future growth of the company, delivering full fibre to enhance our digital future.
At Zzoomm, I always feel like my point of view is taken into consideration and that my opinions are acknowledged. Having joined the company recently, everyone has been extremely supportive, welcoming and helpful.
People are genuinely interested in new ways of thinking and value different perspectives. In my team, I strive to create an environment where everyone contributes, they feel comfortable challenging the status quo, feedback/concerns are shared and all opinions are taken into consideration.
In previous employment, I experienced gender bias and discrimination. I was told on one occasion that I had been placed in a team because I could “handle myself” and I was the only female who was resilient enough to work in this team. This immediately made me feel like I had to tolerate poor behaviour towards myself.
Returning to the workplace following maternity leave also posed challenges, as I was the only female in this team to have become a parent. Subsequently, there was no structure in place to induct me into my role and update me on any changes that had been made. This made me feel quite alienated and I felt like I was causing problems by returning to work.
Zzoomm is a very inclusive and diverse place to work. If this is an industry that females are interested in, I would absolutely encourage them to enter a fibre, build or engineering career within our company. I think there is a long-standing stereotype that discourages females from entering this industry and they are often directed towards other sectors, due to the gender imbalance. Everyone is treated equally here at Zzoomm - anyone can be successful with a positive attitude, great work ethic and an ambition to learn.