LYNN MORGAN

Born in West London, Lynn’s Welsh heritage has given her a cultural and social affinity with the country, and the value placed on education of the tight-knit communities in the area her family grew up in has instilled within her a strong sense of cultural curiosity and an interest in people from different — especially minority — backgrounds. It has also facilitated an appreciation of lifelong learning and questioning and a love of languages: Lynn has been taught to look at the world around her through an analytical lens.

It was these environmental and cultural influences that led her to study Modern Languages and Linguistics, spend time in France and live and work in Milan. In Rome, Lynn was introduced to the ‘Slow Food’ movement and sparked an interest in local food culture.

Lynn’s professional career began in Unilever’s consumer marketing insights team, before broadening her experience in a number of different roles, sectors and organisations. She has worked in international new business, international client management and market growth consulting – specifically with a focus on emerging markets. With her broad commercial background, Lynn is now keen to work in an area in which she’ll be able to leverage her expansive skills.

As someone who didn’t fit the typical background of new recruits in her past roles, meeting prejudice as she transitioned across sectors and disciplines meant Lynn always had to work a lot harder to prove her capability, but her tenacity, resilience and fighting spirit made it possible.

Aligning her workplace to her values has become increasingly important to Lynn. It guides the choice of organisations she works for, helps her identify environments in which she will thrive. Colleagues respect her strong moral compass: “the opposite of shameless”, Lynn appreciates authentic relationships, honesty and integrity. “Culturally intelligent” would be how they’d describe her, with friends opting for “curious”;  a woman always looking to improve her knowledge.

She has been particularly motivated by —and actively sought out positions in which she will be — leading global teams. Building more diverse teams may be more challenging, but for Lynn it is far more rewarding. The workplace only benefits from a greater breadth of shared experience.

Now living in Brighton, she seeks genuine engagement and meaningful projects to keep her busy in London, whilst working with a local winery (Lynn is professionally qualified in wine and spirits qualification) and volunteering for the Mutual Aid Network. Her involvement during the first COVID proved to be an incredibly humbling experience, and one that made Lynne more aware of not only the diverse needs of local communities but the abject poverty and barriers faced by people in less favourable positions than her own.

It was through a mentor at WPP that Lynn was introduced to Visible Start, sharing Jane’s opinion that the discrimination of older women in the workplace remains an unspoken taboo, and that it’s something we need to change. And that change is something Lynn wants to be part of.