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Blind financial boss earns praise at new ceremony
A blind company director has been honoured for fighting past her disability - despite doing a job which relies almost entirely on sight.
Julie Goehlert, financial director of shipping firm Mercator Cargo Systems, picked up an award at the Hampshire Winning Women awards.
Accompanied by her husband and managing director Paul Goehlert, she took to the stage to collect the Conquering Adversity award.
She said: 'I'm responsible for all the money in, all the money out.
'We've got all kinds of technology now - a talking calculator, a talking online bank. Without that I definitely couldn't do this.
'I probably couldn't have picked a worse job, because I'm relying on sight the whole time; reading the figures, inputting the figures.'
Since she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa 30 years ago, aged just 17, her sight has got slowly worse.
Before the advent of talking stationary, she had to use a x12 magnifying glass to read the figures off the screen.
But she said it made sense for her to keep working in the role, because of her emotional investment in the company.
'It's our baby,' she said.
'When Paul moved the business from London to Portsmouth 13 years ago, I started thinking: I could do that job.
'I started, but there are more and more challenges all the time.
'I don't know of anyone else in the same boat.
'I expect there must be, but I don't know any.'
Her advice to anyone else with a disability who wants to forge ahead in business?
'I just don't think about it. I just get on with it.
'You just have to be very positive.'
Husband and companyfounder Paul, 55, said: 'She's the most remarkable person I've ever met. Simple as that.
'The way she just gets on with it and lets nothing get to her. It's a recognition of her spirit.'
The awards were held at the Langstone Hotel on Hayling Island, and run by business coach Allison Marlowe.
The ceremony, she said, was purely a celebration of women in business.
It was non-profit event, and the first year it has run.
Other winners included the Business Mum award won by Allison Hampshire of Eric Robinson Solicitors, New Business Venture won by Roberta Jerram of Linen at Home, ''WomanPreneur'' won by Sam Willoughby of Whatson4.com, and Networking Champion of the Year won by Sheryl Andrews of Step by Step Coaching.
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