Cornwall


<p>International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women as well as being a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. Here at Muddy Cornwall we are marking the day once again with an interview series of inspiring women across the Duchy, celebrating women’s achievements, how are we raising awareness about discrimination and what is being done to take action to drive gender parity.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="669" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/Tamsin-Huddy-Cornish-Gems.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-29922" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/Tamsin-Huddy-Cornish-Gems.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/Tamsin-Huddy-Cornish-Gems-800x535.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/Tamsin-Huddy-Cornish-Gems-768x514.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/Tamsin-Huddy-Cornish-Gems-785x525.jpeg 785w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tell-me-a-bit-about-yourself-your-background-and-what-you-do-and-how-you-came-to-do-this">Tell me a bit about yourself, your background and what you do – and how you came to do this?</h2>



<p>Originally from Cornwall, and having completed my degree, I set off for a career in travel and tourism. I was lucky to work with some of the very best specialist tour operators, travelling all over the world. But Cornwall always had my heart and I moved home, joining the Cornish Gems team as General Manager in 2013.</p>



<p>Now ten years later I’ve recently been appointed People and Transformation Director, working alongside Commercial Director Michelle Baillie to oversee the day-to-day of the business &#8211; supporting Cornish Gems founders Julianne and Nadia. It’s a huge privilege and marks an exciting new chapter in the business’ evolution.</p>



<p>My new role oversees all things people and culture, to support the team and nurture our ambitious future plans.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tell me about how Cornish Gems furthers the IWD theme of <em>building workplaces where women thrive</em>.</h2>



<p>We’ve just celebrated our fifteenth anniversary, an exciting milestone, that also saw us reveal a major rebrand as we look ahead to our next chapter. As a female founded, and proudly independent Cornish company, we can do things a bit differently to the corporate template. There’s an entrepreneurial spirit, talent is treasured, and sustainability is at the core of the company.</p>



<p>We’re passionate about using our business as a force for good and have already introduced a wave of positive change &#8211; from reducing energy consumption and waste, boosting social involvement, to winning a Green Tourism Award (GOLD) – but we’re really pushing ourselves to do better year-on-year.</p>



<p>For example, we’ve just submitted our B Corp application, which is a big step forward to leading responsible tourism in Cornwall. And just one of key goals we’re striving towards this year.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What do you/your team do to further taking action to drive gender parity in Cornwall? </h2>



<p>When Julianne and Nadia founded Cornish Gems in 2007, it was just the two of them with a handful of properties. Fifteen years on and the business is now a leading UK holiday home company offering around 200 extraordinary properties, with a team of 100 local people.</p>



<p>There’s opportunity for growth and development at Cornish Gems – I’m a great example of this, after a decade in the business I still feel invigorated, supported, and excited for what is yet to come.</p>



<p>Women have played an integral part in our evolution, and will continue to, for example our senior team is 87% female &#8211; but for us it’s not about gender, more so talent. Learning how to spot it, and more importantly how to nurture it.</p>



<p>We’re a Fair Pay employer, meaning we don’t differentiate between men and women, and recognise that skill, expertise, and attitude is what matters most. We&#8217;ve also commissioned a job evaluation and benchmarking audit of all the roles in the business with a view to ensuring we offer fair and competitive packages, helping us retain and attract the best people. The recommendations of which will be used as a springboard for our People plan going forward.</p>



<p>Integrity and excellence are two of our core values, and we recognise our team are the backbone of the business. One of the ways we’ve built a collaborative and supportive ethos, is to celebrate colleagues’ successes – from thanking people for the little things they do that make Cornish Gems a great place to work to major accomplishments that help us reach our goals – via our in-house recognition programme. It helps bring the team together, shares positivity and is a mindful motivator, with personalised rewards.</p>



<p>Sometimes, as in our personal lives, it’s the little things that help to make a big difference.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">During the last two years day to day working life changed for some. Have you been able to continue any ideas into 2023? Or indeed anything you’d like to change?</h2>



<p>Safe to say it was a rollercoaster couple of years! No doubt it presented exceptional challenges, but it also gave us opportunity to grow too. Hybrid working, for example, is an element we’ve continued to embrace long after the restrictions lifted. Using technology to keep us connected, now means our team have a mix of office and home-based working, for many of the team, offering greater flexibility and work-life balance.</p>



<p>We feel lucky to call Cornwall our home, that we&#8217;re rooted in the local community and that we strive to support the local circular economy where we can.</p>



<p>If anything, lockdown heightened our sense of this, increasing (if it’s possible!) our love for Cornwall’s natural environment, and realising how lucky we are to spend time embracing the elements and soaking up incredible landscapes.</p>



<p>As a result, we have a greater understanding of wellbeing, and actively encourage our team’s connection with this sense of place. It’s about not forgetting the human element, to support our team and boosting productivity too.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Do you have any role models? Who are they?</h2>



<p>There are lots of brilliant examples to choose from, but I’d have to say Jacinda Ardern. A brilliant role model for how to be a strong and kind leader, with empathy and compassion too – especially for working mothers.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What’s your favourite Cornish beach / view?</h2>



<p>For me it’s got to be Hayle beach. I grew up around the area, so there’s a familiar nostalgia with lots of great memories. Looking over St Ives Bay, enjoying the clear waters and white sands – on a clear day, there’s nowhere better and if you’re lucky you can spot for dolphins too!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2020/10/Hayle.png" alt="Hayle beach Cornwall UK" class="wp-image-20773" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2020/10/Hayle.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2020/10/Hayle-300x200.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2020/10/Hayle-720x480.png 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2020/10/Hayle-768x512.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2020/10/Hayle-787x525.png 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What do you do in Cornwall to make the most of living here?</h2>



<p>I’ve got two young children, with bundles of energy, so beach days are a favourite for us. And not just in the summer, we often head down after school and at weekends for a quick dip or to play some beach games and meet-up with friends for a picnic.</p>



<p>I’m also a keen walker and will be undertaking Walk the Walk’s Moon Walk, fundraising for the fight against breast cancer in May. I’m working hard to get my miles in, and the Southwest Coast Path has been a spectacular, if not slightly hilly, training ground!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Favourite cafe/ restaurant / shop?</h2>



<p>There are so many places to pick from, and a real energy in Cornwall with incredible new places popping up all the time. But, my go-to favourite is Porthtowan Beach Café it’s got such charm, feels like a real hidden gem, with a lovely and welcoming team in a beautiful spot and delicious local food and drinks to tuck into too.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="994" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/01/harbourhouse.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-29423" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/01/harbourhouse.jpeg 994w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/01/harbourhouse-800x537.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/01/harbourhouse-768x515.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/01/harbourhouse-782x525.jpeg 782w" sizes="(max-width: 994px) 100vw, 994px" /></figure>



<p>I’m also really looking forward to the opening of chef Jeffrey Robinson’s new venture, Harbour House. He was awarded a Green Michelin Star, so exceptional seasonal Cornish food is likely to be on the menu here too.</p>



<p>As a team we’re always out exploring the best of Cornwall, sharing recommendations and new finds with each other and our guests too. Safe to say we’re enthusiasts in this area!</p>



<p><a href="https://www.cornishgems.com/"><em>cornishgems.com</em></a></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="166" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/InternationalWomensDay_Landscape_PurpleOnWhite.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-29870" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/InternationalWomensDay_Landscape_PurpleOnWhite.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/InternationalWomensDay_Landscape_PurpleOnWhite-800x133.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/InternationalWomensDay_Landscape_PurpleOnWhite-768x127.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/03/InternationalWomensDay_Landscape_PurpleOnWhite-900x149.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>


Muddy Meets: Tamsin Huddy, Cornish Gems

You may also like