Sandy Mahal
Sandy Mahal is Director of Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature. Sandy has had a rich and varied career, having previously been Programme Manager of the Reading Agency, and working in public libraries for over ten years. In 2007 she won Young Librarian of the Year and in 2013 she was awarded the Clore Fellowship, a competitive and prestigious leadership programme that was founded in order to develop cultural leaders within the United Kingdom.
Although Sandy has always loved books, her route into the industry has not been easy. The child of first-generation immigrant parents who arrived in the UK in the 1950s, Sandy grew up in a very close-knit, multicultural community in Derby. Sandy’s parents were illiterate which, combined with their financial situation, meant there were no books in their home while she was growing up. During her formative years, she became a young carer to her disabled father, and received free school meals and an allowance for her uniform. The one place her conservative Sikh parents allowed her to go on her own was the local library, where she immersed herself in books. She left school with very few qualifications and entered into an arranged marriage when she was nineteen. She had her first child at the age of twenty-one and later attended Birmingham City University as a mature student, studying librarianship part-time whilst having another child.
'I was driven by a need to make a difference.'
How did you make it into the industry?
I got my first job as a mobile library assistant through a positive discrimination recruitment policy that Sandwell libraries had implemented back in 1998 as a way of increasing workforce diversity. I thought it would be a nice job to tide me over while I thought about what it was I really wanted to do. I love reading, as most people who work in libraries do, but I soon fell accidentally and passionately in love with the work that libraries do. Particularly in areas like Sandwell that had massive levels of deprivation, low aspiration and very few cultural opportunities. I really identified with that because it was so similar to the area I grew up in. I was driven by a need to make a difference through libraries – to help build a culture for reading and writing as a way of improving people’s lives. I still feel really astonished by the work that I do and the enormously creative people I get to work with, in a sector that has supported and nurtured me.
'People like me weren’t expected to go to university let alone work in the arts or the publishing sector.'
How did your experience as a woman of colour affect your career?
Working class Midlands was the only world I’d ever known, until I entered the world of London publishing in 2008 with zero connections. I looked around me and realised I came from a very different background, puzzled as to why there weren’t more people of colour. It struck me how much more we have to do to encourage greater diversity and flexible working in the workplace. I think leaders across arts and publishing are really waking up to that now. Diverse talent is everywhere. We need to create more opportunities to encourage more people like me to enter the industry.
As an Asian woman, the stakes in my honour-and-shame-based culture are very high – I know this is hard for some people to understand, but it’s true. It can be difficult to equate what choice means in such restrictive circumstances. It’s an ongoing tension. Growing up, my parents had no idea or experience of building successful careers in adult life. The main worry of most Indian mothers, like my own, were whether their daughter knows how to cook a full Indian meal, to ensure there will be no shame on their family when she marries. At first, I accepted this as my goal in life – to work hard and cook chapattis for my in-laws.
Thank god for Sandwell Libraries! Working in libraries ignited a fire in my belly. It sparked a curiosity. I looked for different ways to do things, and I didn’t settle. The inner rebel kept on pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable. People like me weren’t expected to go to university let alone work in the arts or the publishing sector. I came from nothing and went on a whirlwind journey of progression, working damn hard to create change, but it’s absolutely true what people say about imposter syndrome, I walk into a room and think ‘oh my god, I shouldn’t be here’. That is exactly why it’s important to be there. You have to put your hand up and influence change even though you’re terrified and plagued with self-doubt. It’s crucial to keep going.
'It is possible. It can be done. You can balance family and cultural expectations as well as work expectations.'
How did you manage conflicting priorities as a young parent?
I’ve only ever worked in places that offer flexible working arrangements. That’s non-negotiable for me. It’s really important too for other young women from similar backgrounds who might be considering a career, in any industry, to see that it is possible. It can be done. You can balance family and cultural expectations as well as work expectations. But we need to feel supported and cultivated in an environment that is pleasing and encouraging of all women from all backgrounds.
'Women shouldn’t feel that they’re alone, particularly when going to new daunting environments.'
You’ve had such a varied career. What advice would you give to somebody who is considering a career pivot?
It’s not an easy thing to do. Take the opportunity and see where it leads, and try and get someone to help you frame it. Particularly if you enter a new role and it’s not quite what you were expecting it to be. Is there a chance for you to influence and create your own role? Something I was never afraid of doing was asking for help, I think that’s really important. Women shouldn’t feel that they’re alone, particularly when entering new, daunting, often intimidating environments. And it was certainly intimidating for me! Where there are opportunities – training, mentoring, workshops, seminars, conferences… grab it. Go and seek the people who can help you fill that gap in your knowledge or if you want to know more. Pick up the phone; approach the person you’ve never spoken to. Push the fear aside. And I would – certainly as you move into more senior positions – build a small cohort of trusted colleagues that you can call on for advice. Relationship building is key; talk to other women in leadership positions. I think it’s that close proximity to other women where I learn the most.
'Publishers should rally together to do something for the greater good of libraries.'
You’ve been a champion of libraries throughout your career. What more do we need to be doing as publishers to support libraries?
We need a profound reimagining of libraries in the digital age, to think about the future and the kind of services and spaces people want. Of course, we mustn’t lose sight of libraries’ core purpose – to provide free access to books and information. That really is the right of every person. But I think anyone who uses libraries will recognise the array of services, resources and technologies now available. If a publisher has a talent development scheme, can they take that outside of London and run it from a number of libraries around the country?
Publishers have traditionally worked with libraries to support their reader development work, but libraries are now competing with literary festivals and independent bookshops all of which have massively upped their game in terms of author events. In these challenging political times, it’s crucial for publishers to continue to remind people of the essential social infrastructure that libraries provide, offering a lifeline to so many people and especially those who need help the most.
Another way to pledge support would be to collaborate with the ten UK UNESCO Creative Cities from Bradford to Norwich and Nottingham. There’s the big opportunity that Coventry City of Culture 2021 and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games has to offer. We are all working in young, diverse, modern cities to re-imagine the role of culture in bringing people together. Ultimately, it’s about opening up access to reading and writing, and producing the kind of growth that can only happen if we all support the development of an educated, cultured, literate society.
'Some of the greatest leaders are almost instantly responsive.'
Finally, can you tell us about one other woman working in publishing who inspires you?
So many brilliant talented women have supported me along the way, but Joanna Prior would be my number one. She was my very first mentor when I entered this industry at a time when I was feeling very intimidated by it. I reached out to her and asked if I could shadow her, and she replied immediately. She was so generous with her time and advice and I learned a great deal about what life was like at Penguin. This is a great strength of leadership that I've learned – some of the greatest leaders are almost instantly responsive. They’re committed and driven by a desire to support other women. Last year, Jo invited me to join the Board of the Women’s Prize Trust. When women support, listen and cheer other women, we make each other stronger. I see so much of it every day. Here’s to the #sisterhood.
