'Professional' leaving present ideas?

[maribell]

A woman I work with is leaving soon and we're trying to arrange a gift for her. We usually buy a 'professional' gift on behalf of the company and then give a more personal one from team members.

The only issue is that everyone who's left previously has been male and we've bought them a nice tie - typical! I have no clue what the female equivalent of this is.

Any ideas would be hugely appreciated, thank you! Our budget is roughly £100.

How about a silk scarf, a quality leather purse or handbag or gloves?

Decent pen (and possibly engraved)

Wow! You spend hundred quid on a tie?

You could something like a lap top / tablet case or posh notepad thing , www.smythson.com/uk/marigold-panama-notebook-1022925.html but I have an alessi fruit bowl that I love from a job I left a decade ago. So maybe a little more personal?

Have a look at Toast...there are some lovely scarves there

Gift vouchers

I received a lovely Cross fountain pen as a leaving gift once; it is something I treasure.

I'd love a really nice pen. I don't wear scarves or gloves.

Filo fax

I would loathe a scarf!

Handbag, purse or pen are good shouts. Or a watch.

What does she like? We got someone an engraved silver travel mirror as she was a big traveler.

Ooh forgot about pens a good quality pen would be lovely

Thanks all, great suggestions!

I think we will go for a pen, as it will at least be useful regardless of her tastes!

I'd see £100 spent on a pen as a total waste of money tbh. It would be no different to me to all the free and still very nice pens I pick up at conferences. Same for scarves, ties, notebooks, watches and mirrors really.

To spend that amount of money on that sort of item, it has to be 100% perfect and the sort of thing that a person likes enough to want a really nice version of it. And if someone was so into pens that they want an expensive one, they'd have already bought one.

Vouchers are the way to go, then they can choose something that they actually want/need.

Buying someone an item like a purse is so risky if they hate it

When I left a large global corporate I was given £150 selfridges vouchers and a bottle of fizz.