Women in Industry

As part of our enrichment programme for Sixth Form students we welcomed members of the firm, Hypnos, to Pipers to speak about the role of women within manufacturing and highlight it as a potential career choice.

Hypnos is a British family-run bed making company which has been owned by the same family since 1904. The current Chairman, Peter Keen, is the fourth generation to run the business, his son, James, and daughter, Sarah, are the fifth generation of Keens’ to help run the company on a day-to-day basis. The company holds a royal warrant and recently won a Queen's Award for Innovation.

The HR Manager, Group Head of HR, Customer Services Manager and a member of the New Product Development Team each spoke to the girls about the rewards and benefits of working for a globally recognised manufacturing brand. Through the session the girls learnt about the scope of a marketing role, the challenges of a customer service role, what it means to work in HR and the process of working with clients. They also gained a sense of the excitement of being involved in new product development at the cutting edge of the industry.

Each of the Hypnos representatives talked about the route they had taken into their manufacturing based careers and there was a discussion about the differences between graduate schemes and apprenticeships. The girls were interested to learn that the managers at Hypnos see the development of their current staff as integral to the success of the business with 38% of employees having stayed for more than 10 years and many moving up the career ladder within the company. For example the current Purchasing Manager started as a mattress maker within their factory

It was an inspirational experience for the girls as they listened to the speakers talk about how women are a growing force within manufacturing. It also allowed the girls to understand the value of working for a company that invests in its people and how the career we end up in may not always be the one we initially set out to do.