The History of the Network

By Samantha Golt LLB (hons)

Lydia Darham

The first of the new GibraltarBusiness Network series of talks took place at 6.00 pm at the Charles Hunt room in the Mackintosh Hall on Thursday 9 th February 2006. Lydia Darham, our vice-Chairperson spoke on the origins of the Network.

Lydia, whose motto is “Nothing Stops You – You can do it all!” arrived back in Gibraltar in 1981. A decade later, she had teamed up with Dr Diane Sloma and several other enterprising women to set up the Network. The organisation started in the 1990s, Lydia told us, because many business and professional women had begun working in top jobs since the late 1980s and wanted it. Many new businesses were entering the Gibraltar economy at the time and our foremothers felt they wanted to help Gibraltarian women enter good positions, foreign women to adapt and to put the market players at ease about Gibraltar's future. They never put the word woman to it because the Women's Association already existed and they wanted to give it another face.

Lydia had heard about Women 2000, an international organisation for working women, and used it as a source. She travelled to many conferences with fellow members of the Network and recalls the European Union's Development Conference in Oporto as a major learning experience. She kept abreast of what they did having come from a background where it was assumed that she could not travel to a conference because she had children.

They started talks and networking among themselves because the Network offered an alternative to the male dominated Chamber of Commerce. Lydia recalls being the only member during one Chamber do, when Joe Gaggero the Chairman of the time referred to the diners as, "Gentlemen, and Lydia". Eventually she organised a table of 10 women.

The Network, through, Olga Zammitt introduced Talks in Westside School, which are still taking place and these were also taken to the College of Further Education. Lydia is keen on starting these again because she strongly believes that young men will benefit. Olga Zammit gave a talk about the Gibraltar woman and the general consensus was that she gave another one soon.

The GBN has supported certain causes in the past such as the abolishment of estate duty and the equal responsibility of women as jurors in the judicial system.

Many questions were taken by our speaker and a relaxed debate on issues relating to our professional duties and rights ensued. A debate, which I am pleased to say had no contentious angle to it whatsoever.