Menopause in the Workplace Conference

Natalie is the GB Director of BeyondHR, a company that supports startups, SMEs, and larger organisations across the UK in all things people. She is a member of the CIPD, a qualified Workplace Mediator, a committee member of Scottish Women in Business, and a Director for Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce.

With her exposure to a large variety of businesses and networks, Natalie is passionate about providing commercial HR advice and helping business owners make good people decisions. She has a particular interest in Menopause in the workplace and has experience in assisting businesses with policy, training, and education to understand the support and challenges that may face individuals in the workplace.

Peoples’ individual experiences of the menopause may differ greatly, and symptoms can manifest both physically and psychologically, making it a difficult area for businesses and also individuals to navigate through. It’s important to note that it is no longer an age thing but a women thing – businesses can no longer ignore.

Natalie is excited to be chairing the first Menopause in the Workplace Conference in Scotland, to help normalise Menopause in the workplace with a variety of speakers and experiences for attendees.

Deborah Garlick is the CEO of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace, founder of Henpicked.net and author of Menopause: the change for the better. Her team have been working with UK-wide and international organisations for over 7 years to make it easier for them to introduce the right training, policies and practices to raise awareness, education and support of this critical area.
In 2021, she supported the launch of Menopause Friendly Membership and accreditation. The membership is now supporting leading employers to achieve Menopause Friendly Accreditation. With over 300 members, and 35 who’ve actually achieved the award including HSBC UK, John Lewis and Leicestershire County Council.
On 22 September 2022 the industry-recognised Menopause Friendly Employer Awards took place to highlight and celebrate best practice, and to recognise those employers who are leading the way in supporting their colleagues. Also raising vital funds for menopause charities and research.

Katherine Irvine is an Associate solicitor based at Lindsays Edinburgh office, within the Employment Law team. She also works in its Glasgow and Dundee offices.

Katherine qualified as a solicitor in 2002 following completion of her legal traineeship, and since 2009 has focused on specialising in Employment Law.  She provides advice relating to contentious and non-contentious employment law matters throughout the public and private sectors and charities, to both employers and employees. This involves advice on Employment Law matters for the duration of an employment relationship, from recruitment through to termination of employment and representing parties in Employment Tribunal claims when matters become litigated.  She has appeared in Tribunals throughout Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Katherine’s clients come from various sectors of industry including manufacturing, financial services, food & drinks services, charities, hospitality, leisure, medical, health and social care.  She can readily identify the issues involved in a dispute from both an employee and employer perspective, having a wealth of both advisory and advocacy experience, with a view to achieving cost and time effective resolutions for parties.

With a keen interest in discrimination cases, Katherine regularly writes legal articles for Lindsays webpage, including on the issue of menopause (https://www.lindsays.co.uk/news-and-insights/news/are-employers-alive-to-the-effects-of-the-menopause-on-their-staff) and for the press, such as an article on the impact of menopause at work, featured in the Scotsman: https://www.scotsman.com/business/action-must-follow-empathy-on-the-impact-of-the-menopause-at-work-katherine-irvine-comment-3770355

Zuzanna Zofia Bradley BSc (Hons) PgDip EHO GradIOSH,
Zuzanna is a Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing for Quarriers. Quarriers is a Scottish social care charity based in Quarrier’s Village, Inverclyde. It provides care and support for people with a disability, children and families, young people, young homeless people, people with epilepsy and carers.
Zuzanna holds BSc Honours degree in Environmental Health from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Health awarded by The Royal Environment Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS).
Zuzanna is registered Health and Safety practitioner and has over ten years of experience in all matters around management of workplace Health and Safety and wellbeing.

Kerry Hyslop is a Chartered Member of the CIPD (MCIPD) and is a graduate of the University of Wolverhampton where she studied Human Resources Management with a specialist subject in employment law. Having worked in the NHS for 23 years, Kerry has extensive experience in the public sector and has operated as a HR Business Partner within the NHS for 14 years undertaking generalist human resources management in a busy City Hospital.

Kerry prides herself on her attention to detail and personal approach to people management, and is always willing to help clients by offering simple, straightforward solutions to all of their HR and employment law issues.  In her spare time, Kerry enjoys coastal and country walks with her two Labradors and has a keen interest in gardening, travel, reading, music and art.

Belinda is a Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh Business School. She researches how experiences of gender and age (gendered ageing) at work influence continued labour force participation in mid to later life. She is particularly interested in individual differences within the organisational context of work. Her current research focus is on women’s health at work, specifically menopause. Current projects include a 3-year investigation into hidden health factors affecting how workers over 50 engage with work (SHAW Project) and a separate longitudinal study on menopause and flexible work. https://www.shaw.business-school.ed.ac.uk/

Fiona has over 30 years leadership and people development experience. Upon taking early retirement as a training manager with Police Scotland in 2018 she decided to invest in her own development and returned full time to University to complete a Masters in Leadership and Innovation, through the School of Education and Social Work at Dundee University.

She is now a self-employed organisation and people development consultant working with the public, private and third sector and continues her academic involvement, now as a part time tutor/assessor at Masters level.

Fiona initially became aware of The Green Action Trust through facilitating a creative decision-making workshop. Since then she has joined the Board of Trustees and is the Trustee Representative for organisational performance, people management and workforce development.  A keen gardener (obviously) she is actively involved in rewilding locally.

I’m Dr Alison Macbeth, a Breast Speciality Doctor in an NHS Breast Unit in Glasgow. I’m passionate about meeting the often overlooked needs of women in all stages of treatment and recovery from breast cancer, and also those with a high risk family history of breast cancer. 

I was inspired to start a menopause clinic within my NHS breast unit after seeing patients who were now cancer free but were suffering greatly from the menopausal side effects of treatment. I believe all women, including those treated for breast cancer, deserve access to high quality, evidence-based menopause care and treatment and that every woman should be empowered to seek help and support, including those who may previously have been told they could never have HRT. My approach is holistic and empathetic, and I am committed to individualised care for every woman.

I have been a GP with a special interest in Women’s Health and Genito-Urinary medicine since 1999, and now spend the majority of my time specialising in Breast, Menopause and Women’s Health.

I’ve completed my Advanced Menopause Certificate in Menopause Care from the British Menopause Society (BMS) and am an Accredited British Menopause Society Menopause Specialist, a member of the British Menopause Society, International Menopause Society and North American Menopause Society, and also the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health and the Primary Care Women’s Health Forum.

I am trained to fit coils, pessaries and contraceptive implants and still do a monthly women’s health clinic for NHS Highlands. I’ve also obtained my Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) and Diploma of the faculty of Family Planning and Reproductive Medicine (DFFP). 

I live in Scotland with my family and, when not with patients, I’m happiest out marathon training, or on the beach with my dog and am quite partial to the odd wild swim in Loch Fyne.

Emma is the Inclusion & Wellbeing Manager at Burness Paull.  Emma collaborates closely with a range of stakeholders including senior leaders, employee-led networks and external partners to ensure the firm is attracting, recruiting and retaining diverse talent.  Emma is also responsible for driving a proactive and preventative approach to the physical and mental health and wellbeing of employees and ensuring mechanisms which promote an inclusive and open culture.

Caroline McDowall has worked for NHS Lothian for 22 years both clinically as a Podiatrist and undertaking roles as a Trade Union and Health & Safety representative and since 2018 taking on the role of Speak Up Ambassador. Caroline is passionate about improving staff experience and has been involved for many years across West Lothian acute and community NHS sites maintaining the Healthy Working Lives awards. She was appointed in Sept 2021 to drive forward the delivery of role of Specialist Lead for NHS Lothians Staff wellbeing strategy ‘Work Well’.

Rachel Weiss enjoys helping people lead more satisfying lives and exploring, for herself, what it means to become an older, wiser woman.  In her day job at  Rowan Consultancy, she is a counsellor, trainer and coach.

Rachel volunteers with the Menopause Café charity to increase awareness of the impact that menopause has on those experiencing it, their colleagues and families. She lives in Perth, Scotland, where she is learning to appreciate dogs.

www.menopausecafe.net