MEET THE TRAILBLAZERS What it takes to break new ground

To be a leader in your industry means being innovative, having courage and forging new paths for future generations. GH meets three groundbreaking women who are doing just that

I’m driven by the challenge of finding and publishing the best talent in the industry

‘The future of books? There’s no need to worry’ Joanna Prior, managing director of Penguin General, explains how she is navigating an ever-changing industry.

I’m not a conventional bookworm. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always loved reading, but I’m an extrovert and I also enjoyed sport, drama and maths at school. I’m not scared of numbers; in fact, I quite like them. Publishing is a business, and I’m as interested in the financial side as I am the creativity. Great books make money, and I’m driven by the challenge of finding and publishing the best talent in the industry.

I’ve been with Penguin Random House for more than 20 years. I started out as a publicity assistant, after a brief stint working in the film industry, where I met my husband. I loved the speculative nature of publishing, the sense of community and the idea of pitching books into the market.

I climbed the ladder in various publicity and marketing roles, eventually moving into management. When

I was 32, my links with journalists led to me being asked to be editor of the Sunday Telegraph Magazine. Flattered, I accepted, but it turned out to be the biggest career risk I’ve ever taken. I had no experience and was thrown in at the deep end, managing a team who were deeply resentful, while juggling a long commute and a young daughter. After six months, I was fired. That was many years ago, and the feeling of humiliation still comes back to me so clearly. It was very hard to bounce back.

Moving back into publishing, I knew for certain that it was the industry for me. For the past 10 years, I have been managing director of Penguin General, one of the eight distinct publishing houses that make up the organisation. My role is to look at the overall picture of the business. As a leader, I’m quite present, and I enjoy plunging into work directly with the different teams. We have an open-plan office, which means we’re very collaborative, and while flexible working is an option, I work much better surrounded by the buzz of the office than I do at home.

The great thing about publishing is that I could go to work one day and the next big thing could turn up.

It could be that a colleague hands me a manuscript, asking me to read it because they really loved it – and it turns out to be Kathryn Stockett’s

The Help, which went on to sell millions of copies worldwide.

Last year, that ‘wow’ moment came in the form of a phone call on a Sunday night; an unusual occurrence, so I knew it was something big. Our Viking imprint had not only secured

Michelle Obama’s autobiography, Becoming, but also Barack Obama’s book, due out next year. What’s more, Mrs Obama wanted to visit the UK to promote her book. Sharing this news with my team was a wonderful moment.

However, we had just two months to find a venue for her, and less than 24 hours with her when she arrived. She was due in December, peak theatre time for London, so finding a large enough building proved a huge challenge. We managed to book the Royal Festival Hall, and tickets sold out within 90 minutes.

During her trip, Mrs Obama also went back to the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson school in Islington, which she visited in 2009 as First Lady. Meeting her was so inspiring; it was clear how much energy she takes from being around young women. She’s warm, intelligent and charismatic, and Becoming has already sold 1.2m copies in the UK alone.

People often worry about the future of publishing, but the truth is it’s thriving. The sales of books in all formats are growing year on year. Digital disruption did prove complicated for a while, and we had to figure out new business models as well as work with our retailers in a very different way. However, rather than obliterating print, the e-book has brought us new readers, and we are also seeing interesting new growth in audiobooks. I feel confident and excited about the future: I’m always looking for what comes next.

Publishing is all about curiosity and having your finger on the pulse. In our increasingly difficult world, knowing that I’m helping to share positive, important messages is so meaningful. For me, that’s the best part. The spread of ideas has the power to change lives.

As a child, I dreamed of going to space. I was born in 1968, a year before the first moon landings; a formative time when everyone was talking about what was happening beyond our planet. But not everyone supported my ambition. My parents broke up when I was quite young and I went to 13 different schools. I was tucked away in the remedial class due to my dyslexia, where my space aspirations were seen as a tall order. ‘Why don’t you try nursing?’ I remember one teacher suggesting. ‘That’s scientific, too.’

However, assumptions and judgement only made me more determined. Even now, the worst thing you can say to me is, ‘You can’t do that.’ I went on to study physics at Imperial College London, staying on to do a PHD in mechanical engineering.

After graduating, I worked for the Ministry of Defence, before taking on a role in astronomy with University College London, managing a team of 17 people and working on one of the largest telescopes in the world. I was achieving my crazy dream, and yet there was a general lack of interest in the subject. People’s eyes would glaze over at the word ‘scientist’, and when I tried to recruit people, I found it was very hard work.

Realising there was a lack of understanding and, therefore, interest, I started visiting schools to talk about my job. It was crucial to inspire a new generation. To begin with, it was a sideline, but my passion grew.

In 2004, I set up my own company, Science Innovation Ltd, aiming to make science accessible to everyone. I want every young person to know they can reach for the stars. Science is sometimes taught in a very dry, remote way. However, the physics you do in the classroom can send a probe to Pluto or help us to understand climate change; it’s about making science relevant. I have now spoken to more than 350,000 children, and I get a real buzz every time someone tells me I’ve inspired them to study physics. In 2009, I was surprised and delighted to receive an MBE for services to science education.

As my company gained momentum, I was approached to speak on BBC Breakfast and Newsnight. In 2013, I became a presenter for BBC Four’s The Sky At Night. I have also just written my first book for children. Every day is different, and I feel incredibly lucky to have such a varied, interesting career.

When it comes to leadership, the most important thing I’ve learned is to listen to the people I am working alongside. Taking alternative opinions on board makes for a more productive team.

As a project manager, I will always get involved directly rather than leading from the top. However, this does mean I’m not very good at delegating. I’ll try to take everything on, resulting in a lot of juggling. Thankfully, working for myself has given me flexibility, and my nine-year-old daughter, Lauren, regularly comes along to events with me.

We often assume the term ‘role model’ means someone perfect, who can juggle kids and a career as well as keep their house pristine. But

I have learned that the best role models are aware of and honest about their flaws. I love science, I’m pathologically untidy and I can’t spell; I’m only human, but I have self-belief – and that’s the most important message of all.

 Dr Maggie’s Grand Tour Of The Solar System (Buster Books) by Dr Maggie Aderin-pocock is out now

I’m untidy and I can’t spell. I’m only human, but I have self-belief

Igot hooked on the car industry when I spent a summer at Jaguar. My job was stapling invoices to order forms. I had just left school and had a place at university, but decided to stay at Jaguar. I started in finance and was ambitious: I loved working for a big company with lots of opportunities. I am not a petrolhead, but I realised that people buy a car with emotion, and that appealed to me.

There weren’t many women in the car industry in the 1970s, and I learned to run through the factory very quickly to avoid wolf whistles. The environment has changed now. I also recall going to a senior management conference in the 1990s, where there were three women among 300 people. But the advantage is you get noticed. If you are doing a good job, then that is probably a good thing.

In 2005, I was European finance director at Rover and was headhunted by Citroën to be its finance director in the UK. It was a difficult decision to leave because Rover had given me lots of opportunities. But then I thought, ‘What am I going to do next?’ and the chance to move to Citroën seemed so good. I had several senior roles there before becoming CEO in 2014, based in Paris.

I almost didn’t take the job because my husband, David, had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. We’d been married for 34 years. I thought I should turn it down, but he was insistent, saying: ‘You’ve worked so hard to get here and I am proud of you. I want you to be able to continue.’ It was very difficult to juggle the job with supporting him. When he died a year later, the work helped, as it gave me something else to concentrate on. Now I look on what I do as a thank you to him for all the support he gave me.

When I became CEO,

I had to come up with a plan to reinvent Citroën. Sales needed to improve and cars were being sold very cheaply. I had to reposition the brand, get rid of some of the models, and come up with a new strategy. We are still on the journey, but European sales have gone up by 28% since I took over.

I love driving and have a C5 Aircross SUV. One day, I was waiting at traffic lights in Paris when thieves smashed the windscreen and grabbed my handbag. It was very scary. The police said it was my fault because my bag was on the front seat. I’ve said to my team that we need to design a space where we can keep a bag safely in the front of the car.

I used to take a lot of work home with me, but now I follow the ‘feelgood rules’, which I introduced at Citroën. There are no meetings before 8am or after 6pm, and no emails at the weekend unless it is an emergency. I love cooking and always make myself something when I get home at night, then sit down at the table to have it with a nice glass of wine.

I am 60 now and have no plans to retire, because I enjoy what I am doing. People think that being a woman at the top in the car industry is a disadvantage: I hope I have helped to prove that is not the case. The automotive industry is not just about engineering great cars, it is about so much more. There is a lot of talk around cars [and the environment], but people want the liberty and freedom to get about, so cars will change and evolve. Why wouldn’t you want to be in such an industry?

People buy cars with emotion, and that appealed to me