THE boss of the Beatson Cancer Charity has urged women to have greater faith in themselves as she was unveiled as the latest face of Skills Development Scotland’s Apprentice Greats campaign.

Alison McGregor forged an illustrious career in the Scottish banking sector, holding senior roles with the likes of Barclays and HSBC, after joining the industry as an apprentice with Bank of Scotland after leaving school.

In a blog written for Scottish Apprenticeship Week, and coinciding with International Women’s Day, Ms McGregor said women often lacked faith in their own abilities. “As a woman in business for over 30 years now, I’ve noticed that we can be good at talking ourselves down,” writes Ms McGregor, who had completed her Chartered Institute of Banking qualification by the age of 22.

“One key thing I’ve learned is to listen to your supporters – I affectionately call them the ‘interfering mentors’. These are the people who see the great things in us women we just don’t see in ourselves. I was very fortunate to work with men who were amazing mentors, not only that could I learn from, but who recognised that I had skills they didn’t have. They actively supported my development.”

Ms McGregor, currently interim boss at the Beatson and co-chair of the Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory board, had to scrap plans to go university when her father died suddenly when she was aged 15. She said she was “fortunate” that Bank of Scotland helped her gain a place on the graduate apprenticeship programme.

“My advice to other women starting out on their apprenticeship or career generally is simple: do a good job and you’ll get another good job,” she writes. “And then you can ask for an even better job.”

Ms McGregor follows industrialist Jim McColl in being inducted to the Apprentice Greats programme.