Pepo Director, Nicola Cameron, was invited to speak at The Landscape Association’s inaugural International Women’s Day brunch in March.
Inspired by this year’s theme, #ChooseToChallenge, it was an inspiring event that drove home the breadth and depth of female talent in this male-dominated industry.
Pepo Director, Nicola Cameron, said of the event:
I felt very lucky to be asked to be on the panel at The Landscape Association’s International Women’s Day brunch. It was wonderful to see so many women who have thrived in our industry, and many who are starting out on the exciting journey that is creating gardens.
Having grown up on a farm working with my family, at no stage have I ever thought that I should not – or could not – design, install and care for gardens. Over the 20 years I have been in the industry, I have always felt supported by my peers. When I decided to enter the industry, I recall a friend and Landscape Architect saying to me, ‘Plant people are kind and honest’, and I have experienced exactly that in my career.
We still have a long way to go though, and that’s what I expressed at the event. I feel that a majority of the general public still think ‘creating a garden’ is a man’s job, that you need brute force and skills that are specific to men. As we all know, though, beauty is created through strong foundation, diversity and respect.
In our industry, we believe that there is a place for anyone with passion to design and grow beautiful spaces for people who yearn to connect with nature, like we do everyday. The privilege of working in our industry is not, and never will be, gender specific – the more that we celebrate that fact, the more it will be welcomed in the wider community.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Nicola was also featured in a profile from The Balcony Garden as one of the amazing women making waves in the landscaping industry.
To read the article and hear about the wonderful women who inspire Nicola, click here.