An invaluable opportunity

Louisa Clutterbuck, director at British Game Assurance, head of Eat Wild, on the launch of the Women Who Work in Fieldsports initiative that she helped to set up

I began working in shooting nearly five years ago. I initially found it quite an isolating place, particularly when faced with some rather formidable people. As a woman in a very male-dominated industry, I was often asked if I was the managing director’s girlfriend – as if that was the reason why I was working at British Game Assurance (BGA). God forbid that I actually got the job through a legitimate interview process and a third-party recruitment agency. I was in fact hired because I was fit for and passionate about the job, not just because of my skills on the shooting field.

Louisa Clutterbuck, director at BGA

Perhaps even harder has been the fact that, despite having worked within the sector for a long time, my male colleagues and sometimes even interns are often presumed by many to be managing me. This can be beyond frustrating.

Vanessa Steel (above) and Iona Campbell (below) are both from the GWCT

Support

With the support of BGA chief executive Liam Stokes, I started to attend Meat Business Women, Grocery Girls and Women in the Food Industry two years ago.

"My male colleagues are often presumed by many to be managing me, which can be beyond frustrating"