Making a difference: How Dow Schofield Watts empowers its people
In the second part of our series about the firm’s ESG framework, we talk to the leaders of the Empowering our People cornerstone group – Ros Jones, Giovanna Jackson, and Liz Lawson.
What is the role of the Empowering Our People cornerstone group?
It aims to enable people to be their best and build successful and sustainable businesses.
Why did this cornerstone appeal to you?
Liz: As part of my day-to-day role as Talent and Resourcing Manager, I am committed to fostering a collaborative environment where everyone shares ideas and participates in discussions rather than having a one-sided conversation. For me, everything we do as a team revolves around creating genuine engagement. Being part of this cornerstone enables me to stay attuned to what truly matters to our people and act on their feedback.
Giovanna: Before my current role as Operations Manager, I was the Office Manager and the go-to person for everyone, building strong relationships throughout the organisation. I have always been passionate about people—supporting them and advocating for their well-being. I feel attuned to the team’s thoughts and can sense what initiatives will resonate well. Historically, I’ve been involved in organising social events, which aligns perfectly with this cornerstone.
Ros: As a Partner in the Transaction Services team, I’ve always been passionate about our people, so expanding this focus to the wider business felt like a natural progression for me. It’s important to ensure that when new people join, they feel integrated into the broader DSW business, especially if they are part of a smaller team. I want to help them connect with others and understand the different parts of the organisation.
What initiatives are you most proud of?
Giovanna: Organising our annual group-wide conference where we bring together over 100 members from 12 offices, spanning all service lines. It has been a great experience to see colleagues from different locations come together. At this year’s conference, we also had our first DSW awards, where members of the group nominated one another for displaying one of the group’s five core values.
Additionally, I’m proud of how our office sharing and collaboration efforts have strengthened our network. Spending time with colleagues across different offices, moving beyond just seeing a name in an email to building real, meaningful connections.
Liz: We’ve made good progress with engagement and retention, which is closely tied to a stronger sense of collaboration – our social events are well attended, we have 45% of our Employees and Partners participating in our mentoring programme, and we’ve also introduced DSW Induction Days for new recruits which welcome, orientate, and integrate new joiners into the network and give them access to an immediate peer group from across the wider businesses.
What are you most looking forward to this next year?
As part of the wider ESG committee, we are excited to continue to build on the progress we’ve made so far in building stronger relationships across the group. We also look forward to launching our next firm-wide engagement survey and continuing the mentoring programme where our Partners share their experiences with mentees across the group to help the next generation explore different ideas and solutions. Given DSW’s continued growth, we also look forward to meeting new teams and helping them integrate into the wider DSW group.
We are all passionate and committed to improving the options available to staff across the network to help build long-term collaborative and supportive relationships. Many initiatives are in the pipeline to improve networking, knowledge sharing, and well-being. We are currently putting together a programme of educational and well-being events for next year, which we hope to kick start with a nutritional talk and Q&A in the new year.
For more on DSW’s ESG cornerstones, read our first story from our social and environmental committee or visit our dedicated page for an overview.