by Lucy Fernando 
International Women’s Day has been recognised annually on the 8th of March for over a century. You only need to look at the Who We Are page on our website to understand the important roles women take at Nebula. Nearly half of our team identify as female but we understand that women working in the technology industry are still a minority and there is so much value to be added from having a diverse working environment.
This International Women’s Day we have spoken to one of the wonderful female members of our team who fulfills so many important roles at Nebula, to understand the challenges that she has faced in the workplace, hear what advice she would give to her younger self, and find out what attracted her to working with Nebula.
Katie Measham
What do you do at Nebula?
My official title is HR & Finance Manager, but it changes depending on who I am talking to! A lot of my role is about supporting our directors with the myriad of things they are involved in but in essence, it’s about keeping the behind the scenes running as smoothly as possible.
I am involved in all the day to day financial aspects of Nebula like credit checking, invoicing; sourcing, contracting, and paying suppliers. But I am also involved in the legal contracting and the lengthy supplier onboarding processes we complete with many new customers, which also involves Data Protection and Information security responsibilities. I deliver our payroll which includes monthly reporting, HMRC obligations, pension contributions, and yearly reports. HR responsibilities sit mainly with our line managers, so I support and act as a referral point for them. I work with our Learning & Development lead to help identify areas that may need her intervention in the short and longer term. I’m also the line manager of our office support team.
How long have you been with Nebula?
I feel like I have been with Nebula from the start due to a family connection with the founders. Initially, I started as a contractor in 2016 just to take over the invoicing from my sister, as I had just been made redundant and so was in between jobs! I became a full employee in April 2017.
What first attracted you to Nebula as a company?
When I started it was initially just to do the invoicing and help out where I could, while I completed my Counselling qualification and decided which direction I wanted to go next. However, I enjoyed the variety and autonomy of my role and the amazing people so much that I decided to stay. It’s such an honour and privilege to be a part of building a company, particularly one that has such a great culture and really strives to do exactly what it says it does. Having previously worked for a company that said its core value was Trust but in reality, where there was zero trust, it is so refreshing.
How do you think Nebula has supported women in the team, and do you think we could do more?
I believe we support everyone equally, regardless of whether they are women. I would like to think we look at people as individuals and take account of their own personal circumstances whilst trying to make sure we do not favour anyone over another. We can always do more! We are always open and willing to listen to any suggestions for improvements.
Have you experienced any challenges that arise from being a woman in the workplace – and how were they met?
I can honestly say I haven’t. I’m not sure if this is because I am quite assertive anyway being the eldest child! I am also very open to different viewpoints so I can see different sides of an argument. This was one aspect my previous workplace did get right – there was absolutely no distinction between what was expected of women compared to men and the opportunities and how people were treated were equal. This was even before a woman became the CEO.
One aspect which I do think is particularly women related is part-time working. It is still the norm that women take on more roles outside the workplace such as caring for children or other relatives and to be able to manage this it is generally women who, as a result, have to work part-time hours.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would that be?
Believe in yourself!