Samantha Pariser - The Times Top 50 Employers for Women blog

After a 12-year career with HM Prison Service, Samantha Pariser joined Sodexo in 2016 as deputy director at HMP Northumberland. In just three years she’s become an outstanding female role model for the company and one of its biggest fans…

Earlier this month, I started my new role as Sodexo’s director at HMP Northumberland, having been promoted after an exciting three years as deputy. I’ll be the first female director at the prison since 1999, so naturally I’m thrilled.

I joined the prison in May 2016 as deputy director and I have to admit I knew nothing about Sodexo. I was even a little apprehensive about working for a private provider after years in the public sector, but my desire for the job was stronger than any doubts.

I researched the company and I was pleased it shared my values. Sodexo Justice is led by a female CEO and that spoke volumes to me straight away about the culture and attitude to gender balance.

Before joining Sodexo I had a diverse career in the public sector, in roles for HM Prison Service. It wasn’t a career I had in mind when I graduated with a degree in German and History. I went to work for an American banking company at the age of 22 but quickly realised that, morally, the job just didn’t sit well with me. I wanted to do something that helped people.

After successfully applying for a place on HMPS’s Accelerated Promotion Scheme, my first job was as a prison officer at HMP Chelmsford. I then had roles as principal officer and governor at Bullwood Hall, an all-female prison in Essex, where I met my partner, a colleague at the time. In 2007 she was offered a job in North Yorkshire so we relocated together and I enjoyed roles at the Regional Office, HMP Lindholme and then HMP Wealstun as head of security in the period 2007 to 2013. I tackled lots of change in this part of my career but that has always attracted me - the chance to work beyond the day job on challenging projects.

In 2013, when the recession had started to have an impact on the staffing levels in prisons across the country, I opted to take redundancy. Despite trying a few roles, with North Yorkshire Police and the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner, I felt I could do more with my skills. I really missed the pace and challenges of a prison. That’s how I came to Sodexo and I’ve never looked back.

Sodexo shares the same moral compass as me. It always looks to do the right thing, not the most profitable. When I first heard the phrase ‘quality of life’ I thought it was just a tagline. But now I know how it works in practice: we really are about treating people with respect.

Although we have more male employees than females at HMP Northumberland, the balance has shifted significantly since I’ve been here. I have a personal passion to support career progression for women in this environment and we’re making positive moves, increasing the number of female operational employees from 21% to 26%. We have a dynamic, confident and competent female team here and I’ll always encourage people to look forward, and help them explore their options.

The talent review process at Sodexo is very developed. From the moment I was identified as someone who could potentially be the next director, I’ve had incredible support from all my peers. The two previous directors at the prison have been fantastic mentors. I don’t think I’d be where I am today if I’d stayed in the public sector.

So I’m excited for the future. My partner is overjoyed about the promotion too. We’re getting married at the end of this month and so although the job change timing could have been easier, she’s behind me 100%.

At Sodexo we are committed to the importance of promoting equal opportunities, valuing diversity and creating an inclusive working environment for all our employees. Find out more about a career with us.