November was chock full of events for Women in Transport and we ended the month on a high at our fantastic evening with sporting legend, Jason Robinson, OBE on Thursday 28 November.

The event was generously hosted at Robert Bird Group’s London office and attended by over 80 of our members and their guests.

Jason reached the summit in both Rugby League and Rugby Union. He played in three world cup finals, scoring England’s only try, helping secure the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup in Sydney, Australia. He was awarded the MBE for his role in the 2003 World Cup and the OBE for services to Rugby in 2008.

But his path to success has been far from easy. Jason shared his story about growing up in a deprived area and how he persevered in the face of adversity and depression. He told us about the hardship of his childhood as the only black child, not just in the neighbourhood, but in a family with a background of domestic abuse and addiction.

Jason’s respect for his mother was loud and clear. He paid tribute to her work ethic and determined attitude. The fact that she cleaned toilets to make ends meet, doing the very best she could in the most difficult of situations had a profound impact on him.

The story of his journey from growing up on a council estate to becoming a global superstar was full of practical advice and inspiration, and he talked frankly about challenges such as racism and mental health issues. The audience was captivated as he related his experiences in a way that truly resonated with everyone in the room on an individual level.

Some of the key takeaways from Jason’s story were:

“You can be anything, you can fit in anywhere, it doesn’t matter where you start and what your background is!”
“Be the best you can be, you don’t have to be the best in the world, you don’t have to be perfect. Do your best, work hard, put the effort in and you can achieve. Believe in yourself!”
“If the team is successful everyone is successful.”
“If you drop the ball, someone in the team will pick it up. We need to see more of this teamwork in business”
“Failure is part of the journey. The important thing is not to give in!”

After his talk Jason answered a stream of questions from the audience about his background and requests for leadership advice. The questions would probably have kept on coming but ended so that Jason could chat individually to our guests as well as provide autographs and pose for photos.

TXM Group very generously donated two England Rugby shirts that were personally signed by Jason. One had been auctioned earlier for the London Transport Museum, raising £450 towards their educational programmes and the second one was raffled for our members on the night. The lucky winner was Matthew Reagan from Xanta Rail - and on his birthday no less!

Women in Transport would like to extend special thanks to TXM Group who arranged for Jason to speak to our members and also to Robert Bird Group for hosting and generously providing drinks and pizza during the networking session after Jason's talk.

There was no doubt that the evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all, rugby fans or not.

Here is just some of the feedback from our members and guests on the evening:

“This was the first WiT event and it exceeded expectations, the venue was well located and the timing of the event was just right. In comparison to other networking events I have attended this was brilliant.”
“Jason’s story is remarkable but his retelling is not a look at me and how successful I am talk, it was an entertaining and thought provoking evening where he successfully identified synergies between his experiences and those of his audience. Who’d have thought an international rugby legend would have anything in common with a group of professional women in the transport industry?”
“Advice on not letting others put you off your goals, not being ashamed of where you’ve come from but concentrate on where you’re going, care about your colleagues and their well being, celebrate success but don’t be afraid to analyse failure and learn from mistakes. All the above resonated with me.”
“He talked about how, in a rugby team, players will cover each other's backs so that you are always supported and this is the key to success. I thought it was telling that he mentioned that this is not what he tends to see in businesses. People work in silos and manage their area and will point at others for failing, don't see enough of a team approach to success.”

To see a video of Women in Transport Board Member, Dorcas Ariyo-Francis talking about her three key takeways from Jason Robinson’s talk, click here

Annual membership of Women in Transport is £60 per year providing access to monthly events. Find out more and join today here.

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