Maria Benbow

Maria's diverse career spanning the Aerospace and Defence and Public Sectors have fueled her passion to positively disrupt traditional approaches, whilst her approach can apply to any scenario, she is passionate about removing blockers and helping people to be the best they can through diversity and inclusion, whether it is gender, sexuality, ethnicity, removing or enabling opportunities for those from disadvantaged backgrounds

Maria joined the Lean In Jersey committee in July 2019, where she jointly leads the mentor programme, and is inspired by those she has already met and is yet to meet. Maria is excited about Lean In, from its beginnings to our future here in Jersey, being able to support women of all ages through their personal and professional development, the opportunities are endless and we are in a time of significant change.  

It is incredibly rewarding expanding people's horizons whether it is through the lens of a group of young women exploring their futures, career changes, looking to start a career in later life or the development for those within established careers.  

Maria was one of the founding members for the Inspiring Women into Leadership and Learning (IWILL) in March 2019, the first of its kind within the Government of Jersey for employees, although the focus is balanced between employees and setting a new standard for the Island, this can be seen through the team's successes which include a membership of over 200 employees spanning civil servants and front line workers; amending the traditional Maternity policy into Family Friendly legislation, initiating a mentor and coaching pilot and supporting the first Gender Pay Gap study and subsequent report to be published on Jersey.  

Maria has over 20years experience spanning commercial, finance, procurement, supply chain engineering, mergers and acquisitions, marketing, business development and sales. An all-rounder Maria has had her fair share of challenges including leading consortiums across global tier 1 organisations delivering significant results on the ground in war-torn countries; initiating a concept enabling homeless people to get into their first home and out of shelters in Central London and more recently significantly supporting Jersey's Covid response.

Maria has lived across the UK and has travelled extensively with her work, her collaborative leadership style has been critical to her success, it is this authentic style which she actively encourages particularly in women as it is one which comes naturally to most of us and is a strength to be proud of.