For International Women’s Day 2023, we dedicated our social media platforms to some of the amazing women from Star Property Group. Every day last week we celebrated a different leader from the team, sharing who they are and who inspires them the most. Read on below to see what some of our incredible Star Property Group leaders shared.
Vashikeh Clarke – Managing Director
Vashikeh is inspired by Bobbi Brown, who has been committed to empowering women and girls beyond makeup for over 20 years. Her beauty brand has partnered with countless non-profit organisations that promote gender equality through education. Vashikeh studied to be a makeup artist at London College of Fashion, and Bobbi Brown has been a long-time inspiration for her.
Her advocacy to provide education, mentorship and female-focused resources to socially venerable girls inspires Vashikeh greatly. Bobbi Brown stands for uncompromising quality, individual beauty and celebrating women’s confidence. She believes that beauty is being who you are. This is a statement that Vashikeh believes should be our metric of beauty. Their goals align as Bobbi believes in helping women and girls develop job skills, sustain a business, and access educational resources. In addition, they understand the importance of education in closing the vast disparity in opportunities for women.
As Managing Director, Vashikeh leads impeccably, inspiring all the women in her team daily. At Star Property Group, we encourage apprentice schemes to help young women within our industry and have an internal mentorship program set up, allowing us to nurture our team’s growth.
Vashikeh has also been a mentor for The Girls Network, which partnered her with a girl in the community, giving Vashikeh the opportunity to help her by providing business support and guidance.
Laura Darling – Star Property Group Executive
When asked, Laura Darling said she is inspired by Karren Brady, a businesswoman and television personality. Brady took on a male-dominated industry by storm as a young woman and has led the way in sports and football advertising.
In 2006 Brady was @Cosmopolitan magazine’s Woman of the Year and was named in the category of ‘Woman Who Has Changed The World’. Karren has shown determination and fight, being awarded a CBE for her services to entrepreneurship and women in business. Laura also believes one of Karren’s most outstanding achievements is being awarded as vice chairwoman of West Ham United.
Laura is a master at getting deals to the finish line and plays a vital role in Star Property Group’s portfolio contribution: she is a pillar of our leadership team.
At Star Property Group, we’re proud to have an entirely female leadership team. They believe in supporting our entire workforce, leading the way for property investment solutions and providing training and mentorship programmes to encourage individuals to level up their skillset.
Molly Wickson – Business Operations Executive
As a woman, the prospect of juggling being a mother and having a career is something that some thought at once to be impossible; however, Molly, amongst thousands of women, proves them all wrong.
Molly’s Nana was the youngest woman in the UK to become a head teacher after her successful career as a primary school teacher. Molly’s Nana worked hard in a male-led industry, as 74% of UK teachers were male at the time, which was awarded to her all whilst caring for her two young children.
This has inspired Molly to work towards her goals of holding a Senior Leadership role, all whilst being a mother to her young son, going against the stereotype that women can’t have both.
Star Property Group encourages professional and personal growth through regular personal development planning, training course opportunities and supportive, flexible working. As a business, we are beyond proud to see women like Molly be at the forefront as an industry leader.
Naomi Ruddock–Innis – Star Group Head of Marketing
Naomi shared that she finds Ruth Bader Ginsburg inspirational, an American lawyer who fought for equality, tackling relevant laws one by one to help tackle gender discrimination.
Her stand-out achievements for Naomi include: being one of 9 women out of 500 hundred in her class at Harvard Law, and in 1993, she was appointed to the nation’s highest court, where she served for 27 years ruling on the issues of constitutional law that define the rights of women.
Naomi is a powerful female voice within Star Group, encouraging her team to be creative and proactive in how they achieve their marketing goals. Under her guidance, they continue to push boundaries in the ideas-driven environment she’s created
Charlie King – Star Community Housing Tenancy Sustainment Officer and CSR Lead
When asked what woman inspires her, Charlie decided to put her hidden talent to use and shared a poem she has written which is dedicated to all the unnamed women:
“The women who trailblazed a path for us all
The women who never got a chance at all
The women who were the first
The women who were the last
The CEO’s, the MD’s and the CSR’s
All mothers, sisters, aunts and friends
The women who lived their lives how they wanted and the women who have had to pretend
The women who have faced persecution and torment and the women who have fought and risen against
The women who carried on and the women who have passed the baton
We owe so much to those who have gone
We will continue to stand united and defend and thank those whose names were never penned.”
Charlie finds inspiration in all past and present women fighting for equality daily. Charlie strives to be the best version of herself every day, strongly encouraging her female tenants to do the same, supporting them wherever and whenever possible.
Holly Peel – Management Accountant
Holly is a huge fan of Selena Gomez, finding her to be inspirational as she’s become a successful entrepreneur all whilst being an actress, producer and singer.
As of February 2023, Gomez has won 150 awards and got 455 nominations. Holly also mentions that Gomez’s ability to create an empire while battling Lupus, a life-threatening disease, is incredible. To be able to power through challenges while pursuing a career she loves and building a brand is hugely inspirational
Holly is a huge asset to the Star Property Group team, always looking to level up her qualifications. She has most recently undertaken 11 exams out of 13 for the ACCA qualification.
Star Property Group are incredibly proud to have an entirely female leadership team. Together they bring extraordinary deals to the table, support individuals both within and out of the business and drive the business forward.
To watch each video, please visit our Instagram or our LinkedIn pages.