It is 30 years since Network was established by Irene Harris in London. At that time there were no clubs for women in senior management, and Irene was sick of entering through the tradesmen’s entrance when she had business meetings.

The day Network was born, Irene and a companion were refused a drink at the bar of the In & Out Club, which was set up for servicemen.

Irene’s companion was Odette Hallowes, the French wartime resistance heroine, who had received the George Cross in 1946. She had been tortured by the Gestapo and sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp, and her amazing story was the subject of a film Odette, made in 1950 and starring Anna Neagle. Yet her gender disqualified her from drinking without a male escort!

Determined to change this situation, Irene approached influential women in a variety of professions and Network was born.

There have been many changes in the last 30 years, but the Network ethos remains the same.