Every now and then, something makes you stop and reflect — not just on what you do, but on who you’ve become. When I was invited to be interviewed for the Chartered Management Institute’s Manager of the Week publication, I felt that pause. It was the perfect moment to honour a journey shaped by unexpected turns, brave choices, and quiet growth.
This article makes me very proud of how far I’ve come. It also shows how beautifully all of my workstreams weave together – both in my business and in my corporate role. For this months blog, I’d love to share it with you. I hope you enjoy it!
‘A role in the fire service reignited my passion for developing female leaders.’
A move from fashion retail to the fire service meant a radical change of work environment and culture for Yvonne Devereux CMgr. But it’s allowing her to put her wealth of experience in developing women leaders to good use.
After over a decade with a high street fashion brand, she joined Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service in 2018, where she is now an Organisational Development Partner and Employee Network Lead. “It’s been an interesting journey,” she says. “The fire service can be viewed by some as a male-dominated world but it isn’t. I adore it and I love working on their leadership agenda. Historically, there’s been more of an emphasis on the ‘command and control’ style of leadership rather than the empathetic and supportive style. There’s absolutely a time and a place for command and control in safety-critical fireground situations, but there’s also room for emotional intelligence to support the positive and inclusive culture the sector is working to evolve.”
Her role involves running workshops and forums to educate and empower woman to work towards leadership, and to break down barriers and stereotypes. Progress is being made and women now make up around 9% of firefighters nationally. “We need to do the work for future results but also be patient. We’ll get there in time.”
Alongside her work with the fire service, she runs her own coaching, mentoring and training business, Yvonne’s Leadership Development,
which she launched in early 2024. Her individual clients are mainly, but not exclusively, female, and she also works with organisations to deliver ‘Finding your voice’, a female leadership programme she runs with a coaching partner.
Yvonne first became involved with CMI through its collaboration with the National Fire Chiefs Council to create a bespoke supervisory leadership development programme for the service. She decided to try out the programme herself and after building some credits, embarked on the Full Assessment route, gaining Chartered Manager status in January 2025.
“I have training and coaching qualifications but I also felt I needed something to show that I could mentor senior leaders and bring that manager energy. I’d not been in a direct management role for around five years by then so I wanted that badge.”
She’s now making the most of all CMI has to offer. “I like to be constantly learning, not just for me but to benefit the people I work with or my individual clients. I had a client who was struggling with decision-making processes so I was able to go to the CMI bank of resources to find ways of helping her. The web articles are really useful and I often send links to people. Being a member is a great support mechanism.”
Learning to lead yourself first before you lead others is at the heart of her personal management philosophy.
“Self-leadership and self-awareness are the cornerstones of success. You don’t have to have direct reports to be a good leader. Being a role model and thinking about your personal brand and your personal impact is a form of leadership.”
For women working in environments where they are under-represented, it’s more of a challenge to find their way forward and develop self-belief, she says. She recommends reaching out to colleagues, peers and mentors and building a network of people you can call on for advice and support. “They can give you confidence and quiet those self-doubting inner voices. So often, males will go for roles as they think they can wing it, but as females we tend to question ourselves more and it’s knowing you’re not alone with that.”
It’s also important for women who have progressed in management to support others on their journey, she adds. “Sometimes, when you’ve had to work very hard to get where you are, you can forget to put the ladder down for the next ones to join you. If you’ve got to that point where you can give someone else an opportunity or voice, then do it.”
As for the future, she wants to continue to grow her business and build her own brand to run alongside her employment.
“When you first start out, you tend to say yes to everything, even if it’s not aligned with the direction you want to go in and how you want to be seen. Now I want to match what I’m doing more closely to my brand values. I’m loving the work I’m doing in the fire service as well. There’s a new strategic plan for people, culture and leadership from the National Fire Chiefs Council and there will be lots of exciting things to pick up in that.”
Finally, it’s important to remember that developing yourself isn’t all about ticking qualification boxes. “You need to have checks and balances along the way and make sure you’re living up to those qualifications. There’s always learning to do, so always make time for it and work towards your potential with a growth mindset. This will inspire those around you to do the same.”
Thank you for reading. Before I go, I’d like to say this:
We don’t always take time to acknowledge how far we’ve come — especially when the path hasn’t been linear. So if this story sparks something in you, I invite you to pause. Reflect on your own journey. What are you proud of? What have you quietly overcome?
And if you’re still finding your way, know that you’re not alone. We’re all evolving, all the time. We have to. Keep going. Keep growing. Commit to that quiet, daily work of continuous improvement — you’re further along than you think.
Article ref: CMI – written by Caroline Roberts
