As a young single mum living in a tiny Cheetham Hill flat, Bridget Lea only ever wanted what was best for her two daughters.
So when she landed a graduate training scheme at M&S, she knew she was on the path to success – telling her children when she got the acceptance letter: “We’re going out for dinner tonight, mummy's rich.” Yet the programme was just the start of Bridget’s career.
The mum, from Prestwich, would climb the ranks and eventually become the managing director of commercial for BT, EE and Plusnet.
Bridget’s journey started when she became a young parent. Giving birth to her daughters when she was just 17 and 21, she wondered how she could give them an “amazing future”. READ MORE: 'I left school in Salford at 16 - now I'm a millionaire with a Lamborghini and a Cheshire mansion' That’s when she applied to work at the Co-op head office in Manchester city centre as a filing clerk.
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