Women in Leadership

A property lawyer by background, Belinda has had a non-conventional route to her current role as ‘General Counsel and Director of Property and Estates’. Her first foray into telecoms was working for Three, where she was heavily involved in developing the structure for the joint venture between the then T-Mobile and Three to form MBNL and was subsequently seconded into MBNL to set up the legal team and develop the strategy for consolidating the 2 networks. She joined Cornerstone in 2015 helping to drive the business through the years of Beacon and transformation to an independent digital infrastructure business as well as taking on the role of Company Secretary and for a brief period as interim CEO. She’s worked continuously throughout her life, moving to three days a week for six years whilst having her children, noting that “you make compromises as you go through your career”. Having recalled meetings where she was the only woman in attendance, gender equality is something she prioritises, with her team at Cornerstone comprising 47% women.

It’s fair to say that Liz did not set out to be a marketeer, rather marketing found her. In fact, the early part of her career was as a Management Accountant in the NHS. A change in direction then saw Liz move into telecommunications, where roles in IT and Product Management led to her first marketing position. From there Liz held management roles across Consumer, Enterprise, and Partner markets.  After taking a year out following redundancy, Liz joined Cornerstone in 2018 as Senior Communications Manager. Leading a brand relaunch, defining the communications strategy, and navigating the communication demands of COVID, Liz has returned to her marketing roots, joining the newly formed marketing team and facing a new set of challenges. All her experiences, planned and unplanned, have influenced her career journey. She is looking forward to the future both for her and Cornerstone, reflecting “…it’s good to have an open mind, to want to keep learning and be ok with stepping into the unknown. You never know where it might lead!”

Having initially begun her role as ‘People Business Partner’ at Cornerstone, Ginette has since progressed to ‘Head of the People Team’ and now to ‘Chief People Officer’. Being promoted to the Senior Leadership Team, as a woman in her 30’s, is a huge achievement. She notes that in Human Resources “the learning never stops if you want to stay up to date”; her career reflects this, being filled with self-improvement and constant education. Ginette completed a CIPD qualification whilst working in recruitment for the NHS, gained a Master’s in HR and became qualified as a coach. Ginette’s four keys to success are 1. Create your opportunity 2. Be brave 3. Be true to yourself 4. Live in the now, your future will come.

Lindsey rejoined Cornerstone in 2022 as Head of Health Safety Quality and Environment. She began her career in telecoms as a Build Project Coordinator before being asked by her employer if she would take on a project and implement ISO 9001. She initially pursued a career and qualifications in Environmental Management and then implemented ISO 14001 but on the journey, Health and Safety was where she felt that she could make a difference. She worked as a consultant for 5 years in the Construction and Manufacturing Industries but says “Health and Safety in Telecoms is like no other, it’s fast-paced and dynamic, we carry out high-risk activities in quick turnaround in extremely isolated rural areas to densely populated environments which can be challenging when safety is your priority.”

Miranda, the newly appointed Chief Customer Officer at Cornerstone, brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for both customers and technology. Having grown up in the Netherlands, US, and UK, she understands the significance of embracing diversity and the strength of different cultures collaborating. Her career began at Virgin, where she was part of the pioneering team that established the first MVNO, Virgin Mobile, in the UK and overseas. Her journey in telecoms continued with roles at Orange and BT Global Services, where she led 4,000 strong teams in Customer Operations and served as VP of Service Operations. After having twin girls, her career took her to the Middle East where she joined Aetna International, a division of CVS Health, as Global Head of Marketing, Brand & Communications. Miranda reflects ‘people discouraged me saying a woman in senior business in the Middle East would be challenging but I had the opposite experience. I think women have an ability to communicate through attentive listening, and we like to nurture collective success rather than individual achievements, so both serve as a great bridge for women to be successful in business’.