A mum who was once homeless turned her life around to become CEO of a multi-million pound company.
Dawn Coker, from Woolton, moved home eight times in a period of five years after the breakdown of her marriage and was homeless for a short period. The 58-year-old was already facing turmoil in her personal life after a hysterectomy at the age of 35 sent her into early menopause.
Dawn, who had been suffering with endometriosis, found that there was little understanding in the workplace about debilitating menopause symptoms such as brain fog, hot flushes and excessive sweating. After having overcome significant adversity, Dawn is now running multi-million-pound company and advocates for implementing a dedicated menopause policy in businesses across the UK.
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She told the ECHO : “I was really young when I started the menopause, and it was almost dismissed. One of the things I’ve always wanted to do is support women in the workplace. There’s an awful lot of women in financial services that resign because of the menopause."
She added: “A lot of businesses have maternity and paternity policies but don’t have one for the menopause and, for a lot of women going through it, all they want is to be able to talk to somebody and have some flexibility at work.”
This change in narrative around menopause is something that Dawn has implemented at Wirral-based tax experts Access2Funding, where she has been managing director since 2017. With Dawn at the helm, the company has gone from strength to strength and has recently been acquired by global consulting firm Ryan LLC.
Dawn said: “We’re really proud that this business is now part of a global organisation. I want to be careful that we don’t lose the family feel but this opens up so many more opportunities.”
Dawn’s work with Access2Funding and her development of a dedicated menopause policy, which has been shared with organisations such as Liverpool Football Club, has seen the 58-year-old named as a finalist in the Merseyside Women of the Year Awards. The awards, which celebrate the achievements of exceptional women from across the region, are set to return to Liverpool’s Crowne Plaza hotel on Friday, July 1 following a two-year hiatus owing to the pandemic.
Speaking about her nomination, Dawn said: “I’m very surprised to be nominated but I’m delighted. I think there’s people who’ve done a lot more than me but obviously they consider what I’ve done to have value so I’m really proud. My children are really proud as well.”
As well as continuing to grow Access2Funding, Dawn is committed to her role of chairwoman at children’s charity, Joel’s Goals, which works to raise awareness about online bullying after her nephew committed suicide in 2019.
