Women Leading The Way: An Interview with Lil Bremermann-Richard, Group CEO of Oxford International Education Group

For the latest interview in our Women Leading the Way series, we chatted with the Group CEO of Oxford International, Lil Bremermann-Richard. After joining the company in 2017 as Group Commercial Director, Lil moved on to become Group CEO in early 2019 and has been in the role since. We took the time to reflect on her experience as a leader during Covid-19, as well as on a more general level.

From New Zealand to Taiwan and Germany, it has been widely reported that female world leaders have been more effective in tackling the coronavirus pandemic than their male counterparts. What do you think makes a good leader in the time of crisis?

This is a difficult question, but one that I ask myself on a regular basis as I try to improve myself. Today, my answer is:

• A good leader is one that makes well informed decisions with courage and conviction.
• A good leader is an excellent communicator that brings the team on the journey.
• A good leader carries himself or herself with integrity.
• A good leader is empathetic and truly cares about the people around them.
• A great leader sees opportunity in challenging situations and knows how to lead a team in that frame of mind

What are some of the challenges you’ve had, both personally and professionally this year?

Like many people, my personal and professional lives have become blurred and as a result, I was working day and night for months. I have learnt, over time, that I have to draw a line for my sake, my family’s sake and for the good of the business and make sure I rest and spend quality time with my family. It is extremely important that I can see things clearly and I am able to make decisions effectively.

Like many parents around the globe, I found it incredibly difficult at the beginning of the first lockdown when my husband and I found ourselves at home with three kids of 12 years old, 7 years old and 18 months old. We thought we were going to lose our minds, but the five of us worked as a team, the 3-month period made us stronger than before and we are once again in a good routine.

It has been difficult to see the number of lives lost to Covid-19 increase, as well as businesses collapsing and unemployment growing. Weeks and months have passed where everything we see on the news is about Covid-19. So, managing my mood and remaining energised and positive has not been particularly easy.

On the professional side, March was a very scary time. The whole business had to move from being an entirely face to face business to an online education provider and we didn’t know if students were going to stay with us or drop out. We didn’t (and still don’t to a great extent) have any idea how long this crisis was going to last, so it is no secret that we had to make difficult decisions. As a team, we were clear that we were not going to be defeated by the crisis. We had no dropouts; we communicated extremely well across division and delivered an outstanding online educational experience. We innovated and kept efforts in markets to recruit students for September 2020 and beyond in a safe manner.

I feel that we have the best team in the sector, one that is resilient, innovative, passionate and talented. We have seen opportunity in every challenge put in front of us. We have challenged the status quo and as a result transformed the education landscape for the future.

How do you think the education sector can become more gender diverse?

The education sector is generally quite traditional in its approach and whilst there is diversity up to middle management level, it becomes less so at senior leadership and board positions.

However, I do believe that there is a real intent to change this now. The key is to ensure that companies embrace, measure and track diversity. This sounds a very broad statement, but the outcomes of this tracking should be visible to every stakeholder and pride or shame felt depending on the results. Decisions should be made to ensure that the workplace is diverse and inclusive and individuals from all backgrounds are encouraged be part of the company and grow within it.

What’s one leadership lesson you’ve learnt in your career?

Being a leader is earnt and not given. Being a leader is not a title that someone grants you, but comes from people willingly following your direction. Generally, your team will follow your direction because you have the confidence, know the way, show the way and walk the way. This latter part is so important! Nobody wants to walk the way that they are told but generally, people are very keen and committed to walk the way that they are led and walked through with.

What has been your most significant career achievement so far?

I have had the opportunity to do some fantastic things over the years such as set up international education hubs, transform fully domestic educational businesses to global environments, deliver exponential sales targets, change organisational structures and change operations/processes that deliver improved profits.

However, recently, I feel that my most significant career achievement is yet to come. We are going through the most difficult times navigating through the Coronavirus crisis, working through lockdown and reinventing how we deliver our educational offerings. I am extremely proud that our leadership team is extremely diverse, so that we can make solid decisions while challenging ourselves.

We still have a lot to do in terms of diversity at executive and senior leadership team level, but we are fully aware of this and are working through it. Getting through this crisis and continuing to strengthen the leadership team will be something I am very proud of.

Who has inspired you in your career, and why?

Truth be told, my parents had a huge influence in my career. Both my parents worked extremely hard and played equal roles in the household and in their careers. My mother had three jobs and three children and consistently progressed through her career as we were growing up. We worked as a team at home and we didn’t accept excuses.

I have also been inspired by excellent colleagues and leaders along the way. I have had bad bosses and colleagues too and I have ensured to take note of their failings to ensure I don’t make the same mistakes.

What advice do you have for women aiming for leadership positions?

Do it! If you want it, go for it. But don’t expect it to be easy, don’t expect it handed it over on a plate – be prepared to work for it, to lead by example. Ensure you stand out through the excellence of your work and of your word. You should expect to be recognised by the outputs of your work, how you communicate and your results – nothing more, nothing less.