Celebrating Kimberley Costello | IWD

For International Women's Day 2022, we decided to celebrate successful women in our business, get to know them and promote their achievements both inside and outside of the workplace.

How long have you worked at Midwich?

13 years.

How have you progressed into your role?

I started in customer services, then I became an OKI specialist within document solutions and from there it kept evolving. I became an account manager and a couple of years later I became a team leader and then a sales manager. Just before the pandemic, I took over a new team. There are so many progressive opportunities here at Midwich and I’m a massive fan of that because I like to see talent and help evolve that –  there’s a place for everybody!

What did you want to be growing up?

A teacher and a radio DJ.

What do you think is an important skill in your job role at Midwich?

Honesty is really important in any role that you do. Showing you’re willing to resolve an issue and giving an honest response goes a long way and you become a reliable person in the customers eyes. People don’t realise how important it is to just be attentive. Being true to yourself too!

What motivates you every day at Midwich?

The thing I love about Midwich and the reason I’ve stayed for so long is the people! We’re extremely unique and we are a family. We share, we praise, we give recognition and that gives us all a purpose and understanding, whether it’s what we’re doing for the planet, or for our customers or one another.

What does success mean to you?

Happiness is definitely what controls my success. That doesn’t mean there’s no challenges, it just means I am more at peace or content with what I’m doing. I have an overall joy in my role and I'm keen to learn. I’m interested in other people, I’m interested in other teams, what our business makeup is and why we do things. If I keep learning, my happiness and success will keep growing too.

Who are some of your female inspirations at Midwich?

Jenny Hicks, Claire Wattam and Tressa Whitby – all these women are so inspiring and make me want to reach for more. They make me feel like I can do it and there’s going to be a place for me in the future! We’re so lucky here at Midwich that we have got some powerful women that inspire us every day. I’m so grateful to them. Tressa particularly has helped me to develop the most and made me feel like who I am is ok. She coached me for 5 years and I believe I’ve become more comfortable in my role because of her.

What is something you’ve achieved that you’re proud of?

I remember after my second year as an OKI specialist, I won the Newcomer Sales Award at the Christmas party, and I was so proud of that achievement. I’ve won quite a lot of awards in the salesfloor team since.

What advice would you give to women starting in the AV industry?

Sales takes honesty and it takes hard work and there’s no defining gender in that. Believe that there is a place for you and know that blowing someone else’s light out won’t make yours shine any brighter.

What was your New Year’s Resolution?

More doing, less saying.

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women's achievements or rally for women's equality. 

International Women's Day has occurred for well over a century with the first gathering held in 1911. The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2022 is #BreakTheBias. Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead. Knowing that bias exists isn't enough. Action is needed to level the playing field.