26 Jul Business Bites: Capturing Diverse Voices (July 2023)
Our July Business Bites event focused on discussing, capturing and showcasing diverse voices within Business Archive Collections
We heard from two archivists working in different business on the same topic. How do we capture and showcase the diverse voices found within the collections we are for?
Dawn Stewart discussed the theme of collecting diverse voices from within The Macallan Brand Archive. While the whisky industry is viewed as a male dominated sphere, the Macallan chose to celebrate one of our pioneers – Janet Harbinson – who successfully led the company for 20 years through difficult times and was responsible for laying down a whisky which would go onto be sold for the highest amount on record. Dawn discussed the success of the marketing campaign ‘The Spirit of 1926‘ based on this story and how it was rooted firmly in the archive. She also highlighted the Macallan’s current history and how the archive will be shaped for the future.
Dawn Stewart currently works within the Macallan Brand Heritage and Archive team, supporting the business in brand marketing through storytelling and content creation while ensuring the legacy of the business which has existed for close to 200 years. Previously she was Archivist for HarperCollins Publishers, looking after a vast and diverse collection of publishing material.
Sara Kinsey joined Nationwide Building Society in 2016 to set up their Archives Service. In 2019, Nationwide and Create Studios were successful in obtaining a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for their ‘See Me Nationwide‘ project to capture and celebrate the diverse voices and experiences of Nationwide’s employees in Swindon where it is headquartered. Sara talked about the challenges, output and impacts of the project both within Nationwide and in Swindon.