As part of this year’s International Women’s Month celebrations, colleagues from across Northern Gas Networks (NGN) came together at our Leeds head office for an inspiring and thought‑provoking session with Sharon MacArthur, better known as Miss Menopause.
The event was organised by our Women’s Community, one of NGN’s five colleague communities. These communities are committed to strengthening inclusion and belonging across the business. With 18% of NGN’s workforce being female, our community members play a crucial role in shaping our culture, policies and support systems to ensure everyone feels valued and heard.
This was the Women’s Community’s third annual in‑person event, and anticipation was high even before the day began. Several senior leaders expressed interest in attending. Ultimately, five members of our Executive Management Team, including three male directors, joined more than 40 colleagues for the session.
Miss Menopause’s open, honest and engaging style resonated strongly with attendees. The event sparked discussion around the realities of menopause and perimenopause and how workplaces can better support colleagues experiencing these stages of life.
What We Learned: Key Takeaways About Menopause in the Workplace
One powerful learning from the session was that menopause isn’t just a “women’s issue”. It’s a workplace issue. With an estimated 8 in 10 women in the workforce affected, building understanding and awareness benefits everyone.
Some of the key learnings included:
- The importance of open conversation
Menopause is often not spoken about at work, which can leave colleagues feeling isolated. Normalising open conversation is a critical first step in supporting affected employees.
- Greater awareness builds stronger teams
Understanding menopause symptoms, from brain fog to anxiety to sleep disruption. This helps managers and teammates know how to offer appropriate support.
- Support plans matter
NGN is already exploring a Menopause Action Plan ahead of the 2027 workplace action deadlines. This will help embed consistent, supportive practices across teams.
- Menopause affects everyone
Male colleagues shared their interest in learning how to better support the women in their lives, both at work and at home.
What Our Leaders Said
The event prompted meaningful reflections from leaders across NGN.
Claire Hodgson, Head of Finance and Executive Sponsor for the Women’s Community, said:
“Sharon is a truly inspirational speaker. Everyone learned and took something from the session. The interactive and attendee‑led format allowed for some terrific conversations, debates and learnings.”
Claire also highlighted the impressive impact of the Women’s Community so far.
“This is the community’s third in‑person event, and each year they get bigger and better. It’s been an honour to support the community as their Executive Lead. I cannot wait to see what they do for the rest of this year.”
John Richardson, Chief Operating Officer, added:
“This event was informative and valuable for everyone. I think we can all agree that every colleague who took part learnt something new about menopause, a topic which is too often not spoken about in workplaces.”
He also emphasised NGN’s commitment to creating an inclusive workplace in a traditionally male‑dominated industry.
“Developing a further understanding of a condition which we learnt many women in the workforce are going through helps us know what best practices we can put in place. Menopause doesn’t just affect women. Many of our male colleagues who attended are keen to have conversations on how best they can support the women in their lives.”
What’s Next for the Women’s Community
Following the event, the Women’s Community will bring together community members, team leaders and the Executive Management Team to develop a thoughtful, practical Menopause Action Plan for NGN. With more than 50 active community members and ongoing leadership refresh, the group continues to evolve its focus areas to ensure meaningful, progressive support for women across the organisation.