Career Heroes - Joanne Liddle

Tell us more about you

I’m a business leader and a wife and mother of two teenagers. I also have a dog. It can be very busy navigating work and family life.

 

What kind of work do you do?

I’m the Managing Director of IPC Mouldings, leading a team of exceptional people who are proud to manufacture products that fly all over the world as integral parts of aircraft seating.

I’m responsible for all the products, the premises, people, and finances of a successful company, developing the long-term strategy with a strong focus and understanding of the business, culture, and customer.

I’m primarily office-based but work gives me the opportunity to travel a couple of times a year to meet customers and attend exhibitions.

I’m a believer in getting in the middle of things, so being on-site with everyone else works best for me. There’s no substitute for problem-solving around a table, face-to-face with like-minded people.

We work with global customers and suppliers across multiple time zones so we communicate online through Microsoft Teams and we’re always ready to respond to an urgent email or telephone call outside of normal working hours.

How did you become a Managing Director?

Coming from a family of Engineers, I went into the accounts department in an engineering company and then into banking, so I’ve come full circle and now lead a technical business with a team of engineers and highly skilled people.

My background taught me the importance of analytical thinking and robust systems so I had some transferable skills when building a management system around structure and  processes.  The ability to manage cash flow is essential, not just when times are hard but during any growth period where a business needs to invest for the future.

If you could do-over, What would you do differently?

I would have made a great engineer but back when I was at school it was never really discussed as an option for girls and the focus at that time was on more traditional roles.