About WIBAP
Women in Bids and Proposals (WIBAP) was founded in 2018 as a direct result of industry research highlighting gender inequality in our profession. WIBAP created a community of people – from a variety of roles and industries from all over the world – to support anyone working in the bidding profession to remove barriers preventing women from progressing in their careers.
We currently have over 2,000 members and Allies. Membership is free and we offer a friendly, down-to-earth approach. We aim to attract future generations of bidding professionals.
We facilitate networking opportunities to promote conversation and share knowledge and advice. We create toolkits to help individuals and organisations monitor and embrace diversity within their bid and proposal functions.
Our vision
To shape the future of our profession; creating a bidding world where gender inequality no longer exists.
Our mission
To achieve gender equality in the bidding profession, by supporting individuals and organisations to take ownership of their responsibilities and make positive change.
We aim to accomplish this by strengthening our community, sparking real conversation, and taking purposeful action.
Our values
Community and Respect
Every member in our network is an Ally; their opinions reflect their experiences and we treat them with fairness and integrity.
Empower and Progress
Our success depends on our combined knowledge, experience and focus.
Honesty and Courage
We have real conversations, in plain language, to tackle real issues.
About The WIBAP Team
Charlotte Rees, Founding Director
My bidding journey started as a bid and proposals apprentice within a male-dominated industry. As a young woman who was new to the profession, I was lucky to have a number of strong female role models to look up to and provide guidance when challenging situations arose.
In 2018, I founded the WIBAP community to enable our members to share experiences, as well as help our industry to overcome challenges we all face on a regular basis.
I’m personally so excited to see what the future has in store for us, and I’m honoured to have met such amazing and inspiring people through WIBAP.
Vicky Coleman, Strategic Lead
I’ve worked in proposals for eight years and being in a male-dominated industry means I’ve witnessed or experienced gender-related biases, in addition to those that women face every day. Challenging issues is never easy, so my main reason for being a part of the WIBAP team is to support my industry colleagues to improve gender equality in the workplace, particularly because this role is often seen as “admin” (ergo female).
Proposals is a specialism not many are aware of, so I’m also keen to raise the profile of the profession by building networks, sharing information, and offering guidance to those new to the world of bids.
Hannah McCarthy, Publication Lead
I started my first bid role in 2013 without really intending to, as I didn’t really know what bidding was! All I knew was that it involved writing, something I’ve always enjoyed. Eight years in, I’ve realised I’m actually not that bad at it!
I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in WIBAP from the beginning, and now my focus is to ensure the content we produce aligns with our goals and conveys our message. What I love most about WIBAP is that, while it’s a professional network, it feels more like a group of friendly, like-minded people getting together to support each through the ups and downs of bidding.
Louise Dentice, Research and Resources Lead
I began my bids career as a co-ordinator following my move to London in 2010 from New Zealand, where I had worked in marketing roles for six years. I now hold the position of Head of Bids and Proposals.
It’s a really exciting time to be a part of the profession, which is evolving at a fast pace and provides an incredibly diverse range of opportunities at all levels.
To me, WIBAP is about shaping the direction of the profession, as well as putting support networks in place to help each other succeed.
Sophie Goodeve, Branding and Communications
I started working in bidding two years ago in the construction industry, working on large projects predominantly in London.
As a bidding newbie, I wanted the ability to network with other like-minded people and hear about their experiences. After being invited to speak at one of the London WIBAP events, I joined the WIBAP team.
As a designer, I create content and graphics to ensure the WIBAP brand is consistent across our website, newsletters, social media posts, resource information and conference material.
I’m looking forward to the return of our in-person events to meet more members and Allies over the next year!
Emma Vaux, Branding and Communications
I have been in the construction bidding industry since 2019, and I’m currently based in Dubai.
After attending a number of WIBAP events in London, including the annual conference, I joined the WIBAP Branding and Communications team! As an experienced graphic designer my focus is on designing exciting content and graphics for all communications as well as social media posts. I hope our platform will be able connect and inspire more women within the profession.
This article was written by WIBAP.
