Ellie Edwards-Scott meets… Kerry Thorpe, Communicatio… — Transcript

Thank you for joining us for our second session of the morning. Super exciting session! I'm glad to have Kerry Thorpe, Communications Director from Ben & Jerry's, join me on stage for the Honesty Sessions. Welcome, Kerry.

um let's start off with your journey it's always really interesting to hear a Leader's Journey so can you just talk to us about your journey and what you're doing now yeah so um I studied English and film and then as most Unity

Hi, hi everyone.

have been super interesting it was so fun I worked on loads of Productions so MTV lives at the time swim team live Coldplay Shakira things like that and then found myself on to Pimp My Ride International so I was pimping cars and

Let's start off with your journey. It's always really interesting to hear a leader's journey, so can you just talk to us about your journey and what you're doing now?

and then after that I went traveling for a while yeah came back and my identical twin sister is a special needs teacher in hospital schools so she's like an angel she's got a real job all his family Nazi Angel so I decided I wanted

Yeah, so I studied English and film, and then, as most university graduates, I didn't know what the hell I wanted to do with my career. I did work experience at the BBC and then somehow found my way onto an MTV internship. I was at MTV for four years.

skills with ngos and campaigners who need to use those skills resources and platforms so I was head of comms there for a while and then I saw an advert that said do you want to be our communication Superstar right on the back of an ice

It must have been super interesting.

the interview and got the job fabulous and since then I've been at Ben and Jerry's leading their comms for eight years now eight years fabulous I talk a bit about your that journey in a minute about you've talked about your twin

It was so fun. I worked on loads of productions, like MTV Live at the time, Swim Team Live, Coldplay, Shakira, things like that. Then I found myself on Pimp My Ride International, so I was pimping cars.

taught us growing up that anything boys could do we could do equally as well if not better so I felt like I've always come from a very competitive place he would never let us win at games it was

I don't know if you know about Pimp My Ride International. It had Fat Joe and Lil Jon. It was based in Almere, just outside Amsterdam. I've got some nodders, which is hit my ride fans.

at Ben and Jerry's for example my last two managing directors have both been women so that's been really useful for me I think I haven't had to look too far to see who could be someone's career that I could emulate exactly aggression

Oh, okay.

yeah I definitely think so in that at Ben and Jerry's for example we ran an unconscious buyers training yeah which was fascinating because it made me so aware that as a woman when you go into a group of people I found

And then after that, I went traveling for a while. Yeah, came back, and my identical twin sister is a special needs teacher in hospital schools, so she's like an angel. She's got a real job, a family Nazi angel.

I found that men might get up first and kind of lean in and shake your hand and lots of things that the men in Ben and Jerry's weren't aware of and through this unconscious bias training a lot of

So I decided I wanted to stay in communications but do something that was making more of a positive difference.

walk into a room and feel nervous and I was like are you kidding like all the time and so I think that's really really helped that there are barriers there but male allies I think are what you need

Yes.

and then a man will say your point then we've all we've all been explained have a man introduce the agenda of a meeting that's your meeting all of that stuff I think the men at Ben and Jerry's are really conscious of that and I think

And then I went on to a charity called Media Trust.

saying to you before you know this came this we came up with this concept six weeks ago and we've got 26 sponsors and great speakers here but you know looking around we need in there's a few men in

Yes.

weren't many guys in this space and I think um it's definitely something to take away that the more guys that turn up but then also I think we want to get to a point where we're not really seeing

Yeah, and that connects people from the media industry who have communication skills with NGOs and campaigners who need to use those skills, resources, and platforms. So I was head of comms there for a while, and then I saw an advert that said, "Do you want to be our communication superstar?" right on the back of an ice cream lid, and a hundred words why you should get the job as comms lead at Ben & Jerry's.

our industry then it was when we started or is it and I also don't maybe for me it might be in that I think people are more conscious of the energy they bring into a room more businesses are doing unconscious bias training I

So I got the ice cream lid, crossed out Jerry, and put Kerry, a picture of me and my twin sister on the back, and then got the interview and got the job.

face and I think also our Industries don't pay very well at starting salaries so I imagine there's a lot of nepotism going on I imagine that people aren't being paid fairly I imagine if you can't pay for your fee to get to work for an

Fabulous. And since then, I've been at Ben & Jerry's leading their comms for eight years now.

yes I think there's like we've swung such a way that there's so much support for maternity and paternity but what about women who choose not to be mothers or who can't be mothers I feel like sometimes there's a culture of okay now

Eight years, fabulous. I want to talk a bit about your journey in a minute. You've talked about your twin sister, George, as inspiration, but who else has inspired you throughout your career?

whether you can or can't that's a really interesting point um looking at bandage areas you're quite a activist yeah yeah and a brand that does things progressively so what can other brands learn what can other people take away

Yeah, well, I think I've been really lucky in my career. I think first of all, I would say my dad's been an inspiration in that he taught us growing up that anything boys could do, we could do equally as well, if not better. So I felt like I've always come from a very competitive place. He would never let us win at games; it was always a competitive environment, competitor.

how brands have to pick a side awesome and so I think from a brand a Communications perspective like do the work I think get to understand the issues that you're working on not from your own perspective but from

So that was great. And then in business, actually, I've had quite a lot of female bosses who I've watched really personally sell forward, drive change. I've had strong female leaders who've been both empathetic but also driven.

back out when a few consumers boycott you um if we backed out every time someone tried to boycott us we would not still be in business I've lost count of the amount of times I've read a comment on

Yeah, and at Ben & Jerry's, for example, my last two managing directors have both been women, so that's been really useful for me. I think I haven't had to look too far to see who could be someone's career that I could emulate.

follow you yeah that authenticity piece is key isn't it because people see through it if it doesn't align oh definitely yeah yeah like a bullshitometer isn't there for sure exactly and customers are skeptical so and they should be like everyone should

Exactly. Is there aggression existing for women in the business?

do you know what I'm excited I guess for I'm excited to see where the B Corp movement goes I think there's a lot of ambition around B Corps to be more I guess provocative to kind of take on

Yeah.

see how much the people in our business Drive our social agenda forward because it's led by the company Ben and Jerry started it over 40 years ago now and then the company is what decides what do we care about and why in partnership

Awesome. How about barriers? Have you had to navigate any barriers throughout your career? And sorry, the second part of that: do you think that barriers still exist for women in the industry?

who will call it woke washing who will try and say that you aren't allowed an opinion and I think we've just got to stand in solidarity with those movements and communities who need those in power to use their voice in a bold clear and

Yeah, I definitely think so. In that, at Ben & Jerry's, for example, we ran an unconscious bias training, which was fascinating because it made me so aware that as a woman, when you go into a group of people, I found that I'm always conscious of the fact that I am the woman. And often, Ben & Jerry's is owned by Unilever. At Unilever, there's lots of men in senior positions, there's lots of even, I think, the body language that you might enter a room in.

maybe thinking about a career change a pivot what would you advise somebody who to take those next steps in there oh God no one knows what they're doing do they like no one knows what they're doing or where they're going I would never ever

I found that men might get up first and kind of lean in and shake your hand, and lots of things that the men in Ben & Jerry's weren't aware of. And through this unconscious bias training, a lot of the men at Ben & Jerry's became allies from the beginning and came up and said, "I had no idea that this is what I was doing. We see you as chatty or confident or whichever. We didn't know you'd ever walk into a room and feel nervous."

got the MTV job by emailing this person this in somebody gave me an email of someone at mtvhr and I emailed them every single Friday for six months until they said if you don't get this interview never ever email us again

And I was like, "Are you kidding? Like, all the time." And so I think that's really, really helped. That there are barriers there, but male allies, I think, are what you need.

when you're hiring I was hiring I definitely would I think it would be an absolute plus if someone on the application said oh and I've got this Tick Tock Channel that's been growing popularity or I do a blog or actually I

And I've got great business partners at Ben & Jerry's who are men who value my opinion, who don't have to summarize the end of a meeting. You know when that kind of happens when you're saying a point and then a man will say your point, then we've all been explained. Have a man introduce the agenda of a meeting, that's your meeting, all of that stuff.