Insights
Meet the Stonehage Fleming XV - Emma Bridgewater
In this series, we introduce the fifteen women making up our first Stonehage Fleming XV cohort. Next up is Founder of her eponymous, iconic British ceramics company, Emma Bridgewater. Having set up a tiny business in 1985, Emma Bridgewater now employs around 500 people. All produced in her Stoke-on-Trent pottery and her highly coveted handmade and hand-decorated ceramics are sold around the world.
BEST PIECE OF ADVICE?
“Don’t agonise for too long over choices.”
It is a good bit of life wisdom given to me by my dad; I get a lot of my entrepreneurial ‘go’ from him. I have always hated having too much choice but following my father’s advice has made things a lot clearer to me. If you surround yourself by competent people whose opinion you trust, they can do most of the filtering. Then it’s up to you to listen to your instincts, make a decision and go for it – finish the job.
WHAT DOES BEING SELECTED FOR THE SFXV MEAN TO YOU?
Positive discrimination is a good thing. It is often how you kick-start change which in turn opens people up to new possibilities. Initiatives like SFXV are part of clearing access to the levers of power, which for so long have been difficult to get to for so many. Breaking that down will make a better world. It already is. I want to leave my business a place that impresses my children. To do that I will have to exceed their ambitions in terms of diversity.