"We are women, but a lot of work still needs to be done to raise awareness that women plumbers exist, and to end the isolation female plumbers feel in their locations often not knowing how many of us there actually are."

"I became disillusioned with teaching and wanted to leave, I looked back at my dream subjects and combined them with my great respect, love and affinity with water (my star sign Scorpio is a water sign) so it had to be plumbing."

"It’s an awkward balance to follow your gut instincts and also bring others in. If the vision is big you can’t do it alone, but if it’s a unique vision, other people try to push their own expectations and desires onto it. It’s good to have the right advisers and advocates."

"Have patience, because it may take a long time. Have determination because you will encounter lots of obstacles. Have compassion for yourself when things go wrong and when they do, find the advantages of a change in direction."

"Being able to help other women make their dreams come true is simply amazing and the best inspiration. One of our loyal plumbers says she doesn’t know what would have happened to her if she hadn’t joined us. She says she could have been ‘in the gutter’ but instead she has a thriving business, healthy children and has just got married. She is happy and content for the first time in her life."

"At the same time I continue to work towards this huge vision of a network of women plumbers changing the world. I’m making mistakes, getting things right and continuing to move towards the big goals"

"They say timing is everything and the revolution in accessible technology helped massively with building the Stopcocks network. I simply couldn’t have accomplished what I’ve done without the revolution in technology making it happen. Each new thing I want to do has to wait till the tech catches up and allows us to do it."

"Making everyone in the organisation you work in feels as though they can be the very best version of them at work as happy, engaged people are always more willing to go the extra mile, think the creative solution and engage more positively with customers."

"Being a purposeful company is all about corporate character, not corporate add-ons. A purposeful company will have a very clear sense of its long-term social mission and will be guided by that in its decision-making."

"I don’t really pay attention to my own publicity - that’s not why I do the job. What I need to concentrate on is doing the best possible job for my customers, my investors, and our communities. If I have any power, it’s to do the absolute best for everyone and maybe to try to inspire the next generation to be the best that they can."

"You have to decide whether you always want to be Thierry Henry or Arsene Wenger. When I was younger, I thought I was always going to be Henry but someone opened my eyes to realise that overseeing the whole team, thinking about the strategy and getting the best out of others was much more satisfying."

"I’m a football fan (Everton) and I say to my staff you are only as good as your last match. I’ve never looked back and said that I should have done something differently, but some days are harder than others."

"I've also learned to leverage tough times to build followership. In times of crisis, the role of the CEO isn't to be a spokesperson; it's to lean in and help with the critical tasks that need to be done. You can absolutely come out of this period stronger."

"I've learned through difficult periods as a CEO that resilience is everything. I believe the ability to quickly recover from setbacks, rally for longer, and remain positive is a key differentiator for many top CEOs."

"Empathy is absolutely critical for CEOs. In a politically uncertain world—with increasing divergence between the “haves” and “have nots,” you have to think carefully about how you show up as a leader and ensure you’re in touch with your customers, employees, and wider stakeholders."

"CEOs have always had to focus on running their company well, but, unquestionably, a CEO needs to increasingly focus on purpose, investing time and resources in making a wider contribution to the environment and to the communities where their company operates. They need to focus more on culture, as culture is the enabler of any upside, and it should guide you as a leader."

""If you work for me it doesn’t mean I don’t drive quite hard for things, but there are times in business when you just have to sit back and let things take their course — maybe let the decision brew a bit before you jump in.”"

"‘Haraka, haraka haina Baraka’ which means in Swahili ‘Hurry, hurry brings no blessing’."

"All I have ever done with my career is just try and maximise the opportunity and challenge for whatever role I have been in, and that has led to me to this seat.”"

""There are plenty of adults who still choose to smoke despite decades of reasons not to. That needs to be respected at some point.”"

"“I do carry quite a lot of data in my head, but a lot of it is song lyrics.”"

"Fixing demand isn’t the answer, and that is all quotas do. It does nothing for fixing supply and also, if I’m being straightforward, it does nothing about the quality of supply. It is going to take a while and hard yards to fix some of this"

"There is an adult choice piece here and there are plenty of adults who still choose to smoke despite decades of reasons not to. That needs to be respected at some point"

"The only thing we have ever seen make a difference is bans on smoking in public places, because they reduce the occasions to smoke."

"Display bans don’t make a difference; bigger warnings on packs don’t make a difference"

"The down-trading dynamic has been in place in Western Europe for a very, very long time"

"I’m hoping it is, but it’s too early to call. It’s the only sign I’ve got at the moment"

"It is just a fantastic relaxation and it’s good for the core and voice projection"

"I don’t like to think we’re a commodity.” Speaking in a television interview with Bloomberg TV, she added: “It’s not a quick thing to sort."

"I am not someone who supports quotas because quotas are around the demand side of the equation and you need to look at the supply side. And quick fixes on the supply side are not necessarily quality fixes."

"There should be more freedom of choice. People should be free to decide whether to go to a smoking establishment or a non-smoking environment."

"People talk about glass ceilings but it is not something I have particularly experienced – but that is only my experience."

"Trying to force a percentage of woman on boards – I'm completely against all that."

"There's been a huge change for women in senior positions. Some of this has been about signing up to things like the 30% Club, where a lot of boards have agreed to commit to having a third of their directors as females."

""It's only by sharing your own experiences that other people can get a glimpse into what it's like for people who are different to you.”"

""If you want to be a creative, innovative, successful business, you embrace diverse talent, and you create an inclusive environment. It's the only way to be successful in the long term. Not one part of the community can do this on their own; it can only be done together.”"

"If you have to pretend to be someone you aren’t for too long, it will poison you from inside."

"Find somewhere to work where the culture, values and behaviours align with your own."

"I know it’s impacted people’s decisions about inviting me and my partner to events and it has made me feel uncomfortable meeting politicians representing countries where homosexuality is illegal."

"I chose to come out as bisexual just prior to starting at Lloyd’s of London so I know how it feels to be different. I am glad I have been honest because it had begun to feel like I was lying to the people around me."

"“Although it’s easier than it used to be for people to come out as LGBTQ+ at work, it’s still hard.”"

"“Believe in your own ability – I was so under confident that I even said ‘no’ to the first promotion I was offered.”"

"“The PIE model is one that I totally buy into. It stands for Performance, Image and Exposure. These are the three elements that are essential for your career development.""

"“The golden rule is to keep communicating – 1. Communicate the business case; 2. Communicate it’s the right thing to do; 3. Communicate that you mean it.""

""I got a lot of my strength and support not only from my family but also from women’s networks – a source of inspirational energy to keep going.”"

"I have taken on several CEO roles in my life and some organisations have required a turnaround or a huge transformation. To have people focus on your leadership skills, your experience and the great things you have achieved, rather than the way you look or a small mistake you have made, would have made it much easier."

"“Criticism comes at women leaders from more angles than men – there is now data showing that microaggressions in the workplace are higher against women than men.”"

"Often [as a leader] someone is demanding of you; they want it done next week, in two months or whatever"