41 LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP some, it was often very obvious that I was in a small minority as a female – and more often than not the only woman in the room. During my time as a consultant, I arrived at an officewith two juniormale colleagues, only for the customer to assume I was the team apprentice! These types of misconceptions were not uncommon in tech at the time. However, moving into financial services, there were more senior female role models, and that helped me to rethink my value to the firm. This demonstrates that one of the best ways to redress the gender imbalance that still exists in the corporate world is by having more, visible female leadership – “you have to see it, to be it”. Deloitte’s research shows that for every woman added to the C-suite in an organization, three women rise to senior leadership roles. Known as the multiplier effect, this phenomenon is one of the most important reasons why financial services firms should bolster efforts to achieve gender equity. Apex Group’s Shadow ExCo initiative was designed to achieve this - a new team of leaders from around the world that were given the experience of being involved in C-suite discussions and business strategies. Theybrought diversity into everydecision and represented a diverse set of future senior leaders, able to bring different perspectives, challenge the status quo and demonstrate how diversity can help improve business decisions and drive innovation. As a result, two women were promoted to join our Executive Committee. (Wo)mentoring Seeing the change is one thing, but women often need more hands-on help to assist them in their climb the career ladder. Women at the start of their careers need to hear from those who are further along on their career journey. For me, it was a female mentor at the time that I made the jump from senior management to a leadership role, which had an outsized impact on where my career went next. This is why, as a senior leader, I’ve been disciplined about devoting my time to working with schoolage girls to explain the benefits of having a career in technology, improve financial literacy and show them the multiple routes to entry in the financial and tech industries. It’s vital that we do not pull up the ladder behind us – and instead pass on our learnings to the next generation to show them that there is a place for women in our industries. Equity for all Further, it is important that women in leadership positions give back by acting as allies to other groups whose ethnicity, age or sexual orientation may create challenges in their careers. One of the key strengths of the team I have recruited at Apex Group is the diversity of thought and perspective offered by individuals with different life experiences and outlooks. What next? The global pandemic has disproportionately impacted women in the workforce, but I remain cautiously optimistic about the direction of travel for the next generation of female leaders in financial services and technology. To regain traction and improve gender equity, now is the time for both individuals and businesses to commit to driving positive change. Seeing the change is one thing, but women often need more hands-on help to assist them in their climb the career ladder.” “
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