Prerana Issar is the first NHS Chief People Officer. Prior to joining the NHS Prerana was Director for Public-Private Partnerships at the United Nations and prior to that she was the Chief Human Resources Officer for the World Food Programme. Before joining the United Nations, Prerana worked for over 15 years at Unilever Plc, starting with them in India and then for several years worked in global roles at Unilever’s headquarter in London. Her last role at Unilever was the Vice-President HR for the Global Foods business. She’s a proud mother to a teenage son and a younger daughter. Prerana who has been leading from the front-line to serve the people of Britain during the pandemic, spoke exclusively to Asian Voice, on International Women’s Day about her journey and women in the NHS.
Her support system - the strong progressive females in her family
Like all exciting journeys, the beginning sets the tone for the experience and outcome. I was born and raised in India and had a great support network in the form of my family. My parents supported and encouraged me, giving me the confidence to pursue my interests, education and the drive to be the best I can be. I was also influenced by really strong progressive females in my grandmother and my mother, to fight against the odds in sometimes challenging circumstances. My mother totally walked the talk, and I am extremely proud to say I am the daughter of the first woman to gain a master’s degree in her family. She spent many years in public service, a male-dominated world, becoming chief secretary of Haryana - only the third woman in the history of India to have held that title in any state. This bright example is what set me on my career path to spend a number of years at Unilever and the United Nations World Food Programme, and now with the NHS.
On being a champion for women and girls during the pandemic
As research has shown, Covid-19, lockdown and the changes in how we live our day-to-day lives have had a disproportionate impact on women. We have shouldered a lot of the responsibility: as carers, in home schooling, keeping essential services going as key workers or working from home. As a working mum myself, I salute every woman who has had to juggle work, life and family over the last year, showing courage every day. However, there is a real danger in the unique circumstances we’ve been experiencing that we put ourselves as individuals and our personal ambitions second. So my major takeaway is that we need to ensure we strike a balance between caring for others, and ensuring we continue to drive towards our own goals. Keep going for it and don’t be stopped by any barriers that may be put in your way!
Covid-19 vaccination drive and apprehensions in the community
The Covid-19 vaccination programme has made an incredible start. Since 8 December 2020, the NHS has vaccinated over 16 million people. Many vaccination centres are out in the community, including places of worship like mosques and Islamic centres, temples and Gurudwaras, churches and cathedrals. I am determined to do all I can to lend a hand with vaccine hesitancy, helping people to understand and signpost to real evidence and the right information. For us to successfully cut across the mistrust and misinformation that have created these issues, we need to be the ambassadors. I have been really inspired by how general practice is working so closely with faith and community leaders to address this, creating a unique moment of engagement with the populations they serve. This will be one of the positive legacies of the pandemic, giving greater recognition of the real depth of health inequalities in society today, and a renewed commitment to eradicating them.
On being a woman in leadership role and doing things differently
I do things differently because of my values, my life experiences and a drive to make the world better for my daughter and all girls. My mother and grandmother instilled in me a strong sense of gender equality and the belief that being a woman was not a limitation to my abilities or achievements. We mustn’t be silent about this; we need to be vocal about what we want to see. That’s why I’m so excited to be hosting a major conference on International Women’s Day itself on 8 March, open to all women in health and care. We have a great programme with some fantastic speakers: discussing leadership, examining why women get such a hard time on social media, meeting the women (scientists, economists, doctors) behind the NHS vaccination programme, exploring what needs to change in the workplace and the boardroom. All women and allies are very welcome to join us at this free virtual event.
An inclusive workplace designed by women for women
Take away the barriers. Society’s expectations of women are so much narrower than for men – and that has to change. The NHS is the largest employer of women in Europe. A million women deliver effectively and successfully every day across more than 350 diverse roles: as nurses, medics, scientists, chief executives, managers, national directors, leaders of local healthcare systems, chairs of boards, finance directors, and many more. The pandemic has helped to break down many of the misconceptions that were barriers to more flexible and family friendly working practices. We were already working hard in the NHS before Covid hit to support women to become leaders; for example, actively targeting sexism and bias in recruitment and employment practices and ensuring leadership training at all levels better supports women in moving forward in their careers. The NHS is committed to becoming the best employer for women in the world. To do that, I want government and community support to create a workplace designed by women for women, inclusive of everyone, with more women and women of colour in senior, decision-making roles. Then we will truly be the best place to work.
