Unknown Speaker 0:19
Northern Power Women podcast for your career and your life no matter what business you're in.
Simone Roche MBE 0:26
Hello and welcome to the second episode of this special miniseries of the Northern Power Women podcast in partnership with Morson Group. My guest today is the wonderful Dr. Marilyn Comrie OBE award winning serial entrepreneur, green tech innovator, national electrification skills foreign member in chemistry graduate working with university and industry partners to accelerate the development of zero emissions vehicle propulsion technologies, smart mobility and energy storage solutions.
Wow. Marilyn is so passionate about developing the pipeline of diverse talent needed to fuel the green industrial revolution and save our planet. Alongside this, where did she find the time, she's a member of the board of the Greater Manchester LEP, director of The Blaier Project and principal founder of the Black United Representation Network, which is going from strength to strength and we have worked with previously at Northern Power Women. Where you do find the time for all this, I'll never know Marilyn. But Welcome back. Welcome back to the Northern Power Women podcast.
Dr Marilyn Comrie 1:30
Thank you very much, Simone, for having me. It's a great pleasure.
Simone Roche MBE 1:34
And you know, what we don't get always get the chance to catch up with amazing, amazing role models like yourself. And do you know what the pre chat we've had today was is worth its weight in gold. Tank you in advance for your insight and support and guidance. This is one of the things we talk about so often is allyship in action? And is action being the key word and as the principal founder of Black United representation Network, BURN? How are you working and collaborating with organisations to level up from the North?
Dr Marilyn Comrie 2:07
Well, I think the important thing is that we are at a pivotal moment in our history, we have a wonderful opportunity to build forward, fairer, more prosperous, and ensure that the benefits of our booming economy are spread more widely. And that's really, I think, what the government means about levelling up. And a lot of people think that well, what is levelling up, actually we are delivering levelling up, as you know Simone by working in allyship, with organisations like Northern Power Women. And I don't think it's any mistake that its women driving this levelling up agenda, because we truly understand how important it is. But partners also like KPMG, who have agreed to work with us and as part of our levelling up Alliance, and that alliance will be driving inclusive procurement and mentorship in order to give people who wouldn't ordinarily have opportunities to either progress in their careers, or develop their businesses, in order to win public and corporate sector contracts. That's what our alliance is going to do it. So, we've not been waiting for somebody else to do it. So like President Obama said, we are the people we've been waiting for. And we have to be the change that we want to see. We can't leave it leave it to another time and other people, another place, the time for change is very much now
Simone Roche MBE 3:47
There's nothing more important right now than saving the planet. And you know, and you are so at the forefront of your mind you're driving, building this pipeline of diverse talent for the fuel the green industrial revolution. This includes girls, Black, Asian and minority ethnic youth and those from low-income backgrounds. But how can people take action and play their part as allies in this because as much as you are somebody who does absolutely walk the walk, and we are the person who we have been waiting for to make this change. But how can other people come on board and be that ally and be that active, intentional ally.
Dr Marilyn Comrie 4:27
One of the things that we're doing in the Blair Project is that we're providing hands on opportunities for people to test out new technologies. And what we do is we get adults as well as young people to retrofit petrol go karts and turn them into fully electric e carts which they get to test and race and the important thing about that is you're teaching them about battery technologies, propulsion systems, in a fun way, because I think a lot of people have missed conceptions that you have to be brain of Britain in order to work with these new technologies. And when all we're showing them is, what is data analytics, you can use your smartphone, and how can we get the cart to go faster so you're measuring the times, and you're working together with your team to problem solve, and come up with new solutions for improving the time. That's one example. I'm heading up a new 4 million pounds NetZero industrialization and electrification Skills Training Centre within Manchester science park called the Manchester Innovation Activities Hub, it opens in the autumn, it's based within Manchester Science Park. And if anybody knows Manchester Science Park, you know it's surrounded by some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the whole of Greater Manchester. I'm talking about Moss Side, Fallowfield, Rusholme, Ardwick. And what we're doing is we're going to be upskilling local people who currently are excluded from working within the innovation ecosystem in Greater Manchester, we're going to rapidly upskill, new skill and retrain them so that we can plug skills gaps so that no more will we have people going to waste because people are our greatest resource, not buildings, it's people. We will give these people who were unemployed, some of them are unemployed graduates, they lack the work experience, we will train them on this cutting-edge equipment and get them to work on real live projects involving new technologies, and then progress them into employment opportunities with companies like SSC, First Hydrogen Cadent, who are looking for people with those skills, and it's very, very simple. But actually, nobody else was doing it. And we're going to be bridging that opportunity divide Simone by just giving people the opportunity to play on this equipment and discover what they like, what is them and where they can actually have a long, meaningful, highly rewarding and sustainable career.
Simone Roche MBE 7:25
And this is interesting, we talked about levelling up and levelling up can often default to physical infrastructure. This is all about human infrastructure, isn't it? This is so massively important, we cannot solve any of our problems. And I love the way you've story told about sort of the work that you're doing and impractical is such an such a great way to get young people, emerging talent, lost talent, we can unearth that talent to be part of the solution. You've not used the phrase STEM once yet. This is about problem solving. It's about coming together. We know that the potential benefit of diversity to our UK economy is 24 billion pounds. And organisations always talk about wanting to take action, but I know you and BURN are not about just paying lip service, but how can organisations really shift their style? So how can it be about less talking and more doing and in northern terms cracking on?
Dr Marilyn Comrie 8:23
I think you've kind of hit the nail on the head. It's like Emmeline Pankhurst said, it's about deeds and not words. And that's really the call to action for all of us. There's been a lot of talking, the time for talking has finished. What we're really saying to companies is that that the figures are Simone that a third of school children are from a Black, Asian minority ethnic background, if they're excluded from opportunities, that means that our economy is not firing on all cylinders. So increasingly, employers are coming to us saying, we have opportunities, but we need to engage with diverse young people, the current recruitment companies that they use, are not able to reach those communities. So there is a wonderful and glorious opportunity for organisations like the Black United Representation Network, to plug that gap, working with partners like Northern Power Women, Asian Business Network, to come together to be the go-to platform, to be the go-to partnership for these companies to find diverse talent because the current solutions are not working. So that's really what we're asking them to do is to try different work with different people stop. I think it was Einstein who said that if you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting the same results. And they need to have the courage to try new people and try new solutions. And we're here together as allies to help them on that journey.
Simone Roche MBE 10:15
And I think that's key is that you talked about our organisations, you talked about the Asian business network, collaboration is really key in this, whichever door you want to go through, it's almost going out, here's a solution come to us ask, and I think people can worry about saying the wrong thing, or doing the wrong thing is an ally. But we know that inaction is it's just not acceptable, it's not just damaging, it's an absolutely no place to go. So, what would you say to someone wanting to take the next steps in becoming an active ally?
Dr Marilyn Comrie 10:52
What I would say to people is the climate emergency is real, it cannot be solved by a few people, it needs all of us to put our shoulder to the wheel. And no one can be excluded, because it's going to be a mammoth effort by all of us, because there is just one planet. And in truth, there's just one race, the human race. And we're all in this together. So let's all come together to solve this. And really, what I'm saying to somebody is, if you want to begin and get on that journey, contact either Northern Power Women, or the Black United Representation Network, The Blair Project, just come and tap into our growing movement of people who are united together to solve the biggest challenges, societal environmental challenges that we currently face. And it's really to just say, please act now, we can't leave it to another time and date because the emergency is very, very real.
Simone Roche MBE 12:01
Absolutely. And I know you love your quotations, on your own, you can go fast, but together, we can go far, and this is not going away. And I take my hat and my headphones off for you to salute you for always driving the change and always been at the forefront of like you say if it's not being done, actually I'm going to jump in here and make that change and not be afraid to do that. And please come along with us. Bring your associations bring your curiosity, because that's the way that we we make that change. So Marilyn thank you so much for chatting with me today. You always bring such great insight, wisdom and some fabulous quotes, we will put we put together a cheat sheet that goes with all of these podcasts. So we want you to do, don't we Marilyn, this isn't a case we want you to listen, but we want you to now go and do.
Dr Marilyn Comrie 12:53
yes, absolutely. Especially women. I'm the first woman of colour to head up an innovation asset in Greater Manchester. But I don't want to be the last so I want other women to know that they too can be heading out innovation assets and they can they can be driving forward this change. We need you
Simone Roche MBE 13:14
And all the information will be in our show notes too. I know our listeners will find your words insightful, inspiring, sparing them to put their own allyship and agency into action. If you've enjoyed this episode of the Northern Power Women podcast in partnership with Morson Group, please do rate, review, subscribe. It helps us reach more people because we can attract more human talents. You're more human changemakers until next time, I'm your host Simone Roche and this has been a what goes on Media Production.