To this day, women only make up a minor percentage of the working force in the music industry. This primarily motivated the creation of WILM. However no change can be effective without support from everyone; so everyone – no matter who they are and what gender they identify with - needs to be joined together to ensure a balanced diversity for the future.

We spoke to Herpreet about her experiences of being a woman in the audio industry. 

How did you get started in the audio industry?

Completely by accident.  I was well on the way to becoming a solicitor but absolutely hated it so left my training contract halfway through. I then threw myself into a load of other sectors, including recruitment.  I actually recruited myself into VDC! It seemed like a fascinating place to work – not least because I’ve always been interested in music and have had an understanding of audio.  So it seemed like a good place to start.

Why do you think ‘Women In Live Music’ (WILM) is a good initiative?

At a basic level, we just need to get more women in the industry. I think a lot of it is breaking down this mystique around it. It’s vastly male-oriented at the moment – although that does seem to be changing. I find that women are naturally creative and ruminate more on different aspects of problem solving, something that the industry relies on a lot. We bring a new energy, come up with different solutions – vital to the post pandemic recovery for such an important part of our culture. I think an influx of new female talent will really help evolve and drive the sector forwards.

What has your experience been like as a woman in the sector?

To be totally honest, I’ve never had any problems.  A couple of times early on in my career, I did get second guessed, when customers asked to speak to someone male, but that kind of incident was very rare.  Full credit to my male colleagues at VDC too, who stood up to anyone who spoke to me like that and really built up my confidence.  And as I progressed and got to know people, it stopped happening.  This business is all about relationships at the end of the day.

Happily, a lot of the amazing companies that we work with also have talented and powerful women on their teams and who are fantastic at their roles. Digico are definitely an example – Moira Kinloch, Beverley Ure, Pauline Strain and Helen Culleton are all incredible. I’ve had some great examples to look up to and learn from.  The industry is becoming more and more progressive and hopefully one day there will be a 50/50 split. 

Do you have any favourite projects, or any memorable moments you can tell us about?

Again, as a woman you’re not expected to love sport but as an avid sports fan myself, I’ve also loved the various sporting venues and events that we’ve worked on, like the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Twickenham, The Cricket Hundred and of course all of the Olympic games I’ve worked on, including Tokyo just gone. The end result has brought people a lot of happiness which is quite satisfying - we need more of anything positive in the world. 

Of course, I also really have to mention when VDC supported the 3T (Tour Tech Training) Programme to help talented black women break into music and production sector.  Many organisations in the industry are now rethinking their teams and who they should employ and this initiative is opening up doors for more diversity in the sector.  

What advice would you give to someone just starting out?

Live in the moment.  Be genuine and try and learn as much as you can – the more knowledge you have, the better you are at your job.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions. 

Above all, try and enjoy what you do as time goes by really quickly.  I’ve been at VDC for eight years and it doesn’t seem more than a blink of the eye.