Meet the Professors: Claire Hannibal from Liverpool Business School
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we’ve been talking to some of our inspirational female professors about their career journeys so far, as well as hearing their thoughts on what it means to be a woman in the workplace in the 21st century.
Claire Hannibal is a Professor of Operations Management at Liverpool Business School at LJMU. She spoke to us about the love she has for her job and the importance of supporting and empowering women.
“I teach Operations and Supply Chain Management mostly to masters students. I absolutely love teaching this subject as it’s so exciting and easy to bring to life. I find that there’s always a topical operations or supply chain issue in the morning news that I can then weave into that day’s class, which is great. This allows the students to quickly see the relevance and importance of the subject and how it often translates into everyday life.”
Claire’s career journey to becoming a professor has taken her to faraway places and included many different jobs along the way:
“I’m a trained engineer and began working in manufacturing after graduating. Before I became a professor I had several jobs within the manufacturing sector, including working for carpet and caravan producers. I then travelled to Ethiopia where I began lecturing for Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). It was here that I discovered my love for teaching and inspiring young people. Taking this path eventually led to me become a professor at LJMU – the only female professor in my faculty!”
On the importance of International Women’s Day Claire says:
“This day is such a fantastic celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. For me, it feels like the perfect time to shine a light on gender inequality and to support women all over the world in the fight for equality. On a personal level, it’s also a time to reflect and celebrate the important women in our lives; how they inspire and support us – and also a time to thank them. Personally, there are too many special women in my life to count. I hope they know who they are and how much I value them.”
Claire believes the key to helping women succeed is through support and mentorship:
“I try my best to support my female students and colleagues alike, whether this is through one-to-one mentorship or simply meeting for a coffee and a chat. In my experience, it can be really helpful to know that someone is on your side and is supporting and celebrating you during your learning journey.”
When it comes to female representation in her area of expertise, Claire had this to say:
“There are a lot of amazing women scholars in operations and supply chain management who are working together to support, mentor and nurture each other. However, I do strongly believe that there could be more female representation within this sector, especially at a senior level. That’s exactly why I view the early mentoring and support of young women as being pivotal to the fight for equality in the working world.”
If you’re feeling inspired by Claire take a look at the courses we offer at courses we offer at Liverpool Business School.
Find out more about the origins of International Women’s Day and take a look at the other features in this series on Meet the Professors.
