The Power Of You: My Story, Beth Hart, McDonald’s UK & Ireland

Our global campaign to foster women’s empowerment and drive inclusivity in the meat industry continues with second video of the series

Beth Hart, Vice President of Supply Chain at McDonald’s UK & Ireland stars in the second video in a new series which will share inspirational stories of the people who work in the meat industry. ‘The Power of You’ series will share the authentic experiences of men and women in the sector, showcase inclusivity best practice and help to foster a sense of empowerment and confidence within women at every career stage.

In the video, Beth shares the beginnings of her journey as a graduate at major UK retailer Marks & Spencer before taking us through pivotal moments in her career to her current executive position at the foodservice giant McDonald’s UK & Ireland. She talks about the importance of flexibility for women to be able to progress in business and the importance of a strong network for new opportunities.

Beth says “The biggest surprise for me when I reached a senior position was that everyone isn’t as perfect as they seemed to me when I was in the earlier stages of my career. You can be flexible, and you can grant other people flexibility so that they can see that they don’t have to be perfect to rise through the ranks and shine too.”

The video is part of ‘The Power Of You’; a global campaign backed by leading meat businesses launched to help empower women who work in the meat industry, foster the involvement of male allies and drive action towards a more inclusive sector. The campaign will run across social and digital channels, including LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and X (Twitter), throughout 2023 and 2024.

The campaign is launched as a direct result of Meat Business Women’s 2023 Global Gender Representation report. The report found that 53% of people working in the industry believe that inclusion has moved up the agenda since 2020. There has been an increase in women at board level, director and CEO level roles however, the number of women in the total global meat workforce has dropped overall, and progress is stagnant at more junior levels. Although the industry is making progress, there is still more to be done. To really shift the dial, the report findings tell us that all genders need to work together to create a more inclusive future.

Recognise, Respond, Reciprocate

Since the launch of Meat Business Women’s first campaign ‘She Looks Like Me’, 60% of people working in the meat industry say that women now have more opportunities to network and role models are more visible. ‘The Power of You’ will highlight role models in the industry, and encourage individuals to do three things: Recognise their key strengths and skills. Respond, by amplifying their voices and taking action, and Reciprocate, by sharing their experiences and paying their skills and knowledge forward to others.

Meat Business Women has created a media kit, which includes social media and digital to encourage everyone who works within the meat industry to get involved with the campaign. Meat Business Women are calling on individuals to create their own social media posts and share the campaign with their peers. The toolkit is available to download here.

Meat Business Women members can access enhanced resources via their Members Portal.

Laura Ryan, global chair of Meat Business Women says: “We are encouraging everyone in the meat industry – businesses and individuals – to download the media kit from the Meat Business Women website, share our campaign videos and post their own #ThePowerOfYou content. Help us empower others and create a more inclusive sector.”