Alison Wilson-Shaw, a member of our NECS Consultancy team, based in the Midlands, talks to us about how the majority of her career has been about amplifying women’s voices to drive change, so rights, power and opportunities don’t hinge on gender, this International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025.
“I’ve been with the NHS for over 30 years, jumping between roles that keep me fired up and focused on driving change, a lot like the energy behind this year’s International Women’s Day theme, “Accelerate Action.”
“The World Economic Forum warns we won’t see gender parity until 2158 unless we step it up, and that’s why this theme’s front and centre: it’s a rallying cry to fast-track a world where rights, power, and opportunities don’t hinge on gender. My career’s been part of that mission. I started off, as an assistant to an Occupational Therapist’s assistant, figuring things out, then trained as an Occupational Therapist myself. Over time, I took on roles like Service Manager, Clinical Lead for Rehabilitation, and Integrated Care Manager, while picking up a master’s in health policy and professional Practice and starting a PhD. One highlight was serving as the National Network Occupational Therapy Advisor to the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer at the Department of Health, bringing therapists together nationwide, to shape parliamentary responses and strategies, amplifying women’s voices in a field that needed more of them.
“IWD 2025 focuses on empowering young women and girls as change-makers. That’s where my work really comes alive. I have never really viewed myself as a change-maker, but more as doing what’s right, what’s fair, and what’s just. At NECS and throughout my career, I’ve thrown myself into groups such as Women and Carers in Consultancy group, taken up Deputy Chair of the Equality, Diversity Steering Group, co-chaired the Inclusion Network, Leadership Transformation, BEACON, NHS Emerging Leaders. Each being a step toward spaces where women can lead and grow, just as the theme demands. Then there’s the National Innovation in Inclusion programme I spearheaded across six NHS organizations. We got in a room with everyone from porters, nurses to CEOs, to co-design strategies lifting Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) people into senior roles, soon naturally expanding to diversity at large across all organisations. Every site had a custom plan with an executive to own it, and our toolkit, now in the King’s Fund library, gives others a blueprint to follow. It meant real listening, bold talks, and cheering successes while pointing out blind spots, skills that match IWD’s push for swift, lasting change.
“Six years back, I joined the NECS Consultancy team, drawn by the opportunity to continue to fuse health and social care with the teamwork vibe I’ve cherished since my Integrated Care days in the 2000s. The variety is a treasure trove. I blend my clinical background, management savvy, and consultancy skills to tackle issues that hit patients where it counts, echoing the urgency IWD 2025 calls for, being a woman out there doing this, and encouraging others. Whether I’m partnering with Staffordshire Police on their Community Race Programme, working with the Chief Constable and frontline crews to connect with communities, or boosting my NECS team, I lean on what I’ve learned: sharp listening, smart challenges, and a solution-driven mindset. I always ask, “What if this were for my sister, my niece, my daughter (if I had a daughter)?” It keeps it real and delivers impact.
“For me, IWD 2025’s challenge to shrink the gender gap faster is personal. My career’s been about meeting it head-on, breaking barriers, pushing inclusion, and proving variety sparks progress. At NECS, I thrive on igniting teams, thinking strategically, and delivering changes patients feel, proof that accelerating action isn’t just talk, it’s my every day.”