Meet Ruby Ali-Brett

Women’s History Month was in March and we wanted to bring the month to a close by honouring and highlighting some amazing women within the consumer goods industry. In this post you can learn all about Ruby Ali-Brett who’s currently blazing a trail at Arla Foods.

Ruby is a Category Development Director at Arla Foods, Leeds.

A Mum of 2 sons, she is values driven in everything she does with a real passion for creating cultural change in the  workplace. Ruby actively seeks out where and how she can lead change that her colleagues and future talents expect to see. 

Proud of her Northern roots,  Ruby graduated from Manchester University and took up a supply chain graduate training scheme at Asda in Leeds,  where she was lucky enough to spend time working in Japan and America. Ruby then made my way into Buying where she spent five years in Dairy after which she moved to Arla Foods. Arla makes all things Dairy so you’ll probably find Lurpak in her blood!! At Arla Ruby has led teams in  brand marketing, innovation and now she is part of the sales function.  People are definitely Ruby’s passion; “challenging the norms of how we do things and ensuring we create a culture that is inclusive and diverse, where all colleagues feel seen, heard and can thrive, is where I get a huge amount of energy from.”

We asked Ruby some questions and here is what she had to say:

What challenges have you faced as a woman in the industry and how did you overcome them?

I feel very fortunate that I’ve mostly felt really supported throughout my career. I’ve always sought out mentors  which has given me what has felt like a safe space to learn and grow outside of my immediate work setting. There have been points in my career though where I’ve been very aware of a lack of representation, both gender and ethnic representation in the teams or functions where I have worked. When I’ve worked in International markets this was further heightened when very different cultural norms also came into play. Have I felt (and looked) ‘different’ in the workplace, yes, for a lot of my working life. What’s helped me, is focussing my energy and efforts on the things within my gift to influence. I spend a lot of time trying to understand myself; what I’m good at and what I’m also not so good at. Building my capabilities and competencies, learning new things, taking opportunities that come my way has helped me focus on my outputs and the strengths I can bring to any team and business. It puts me in a much more positive and empowered mind set rather than focussing on things I can’t always influence.

How do you think the industry can become more inclusive and diverse for women?

Firstly, I would say that our industry is changing, for the better. We might not have the levels of diversity that we want to see yet, but it’s important to recognise that there are more women in parts of our industry and more women in senior positions than there have ever been. We are seeing positive change, so how do we accelerate that change? I think we have to be intentional in our approach towards enabling women to succeed. Right from the policies that exist around women’s health and key moments in women’s lives, to how we accelerate talent progression focussed on women are two key areas I would call out. Actively supporting women within organisations also through senior sponsorship and mentorship is also really important. That said, our industry is vast, and within our supply chains as an example, attracting women in the first place is difficult. We need to get better at sharing more about what happens in our industry and the brilliant career opportunities that exist for everyone. Finance, marketing, engineering, big data, sales, tech, law are just a few disciplines which people wouldn’t normally associate with our industry.

Can you share a project or initiative you've worked on in the industry that you're particularly proud of?

Setting up and leading  our Diversity & Inclusion Ambassador group at Arla last year is definitely one of my proudest achievements. We’re a group of passionate and driven leaders who come together to help create a more inclusive environment and culture for all colleagues. Our ethos is that we drive change, ‘For Colleagues, by Colleagues’. None of us are D&I specialists, but we all bring a unique perspective, a growth mindset and lots of energy that we invest in events and activities to educate, inspire, celebrate and  sometimes open up difficult conversations. This year so far we’ve hosted learning sessions, panel debates, set up a PROUD network group, celebrated international women’s day as a week long event, celebrated Ramadan with a head office fast. Storytelling is a the heart of what we do as a group. Sharing our own stories of what and why inclusion matters to us has encouraged other colleagues to come forwards, share more about who they are and is helping to increase a sense of belonging. We want colleagues to feel they can thrive by being themselves so we as a group try to enable this through what we do. The response from colleagues has been incredible. We’re seeing more and more people open up and be part of the change they want to see at Arla. It’s incredibly humbling to see and feel the impact that we as a group are having on our organisational culture and also colleagues.

What advice would you give to young women who are interested in pursuing a career similar to yours?

My advice would be, get curious. There is so much more to the industry than you would think. Find out  what the different functional areas are and what happens in them. If you have connections then use them,  and if you don’t then find out where you can make connections  and who can help you. Attracting talent into the industry is something we are all invested in so people will want to help and support you. If you’re already in the industry and starting your career  then I would say take every opportunity to learn what you can. Invest the time in understanding yourself; your values, where you get your energy from, what excites you, and do more of those things, as much as you can.

Ruby with her family