Women in fintech share their experiences, highlighting the transformative impact of knowledge sharing and guidance breaking barriers and promoting diversity in the industry
Lissele Pratt, Co-Founder at Capitalixe
“Mentorship and knowledge sharing are the lifeblood of progress in the fintech industry, especially when fostering women’s talent. Let me be clear: They’re not just important. They’re absolutely crucial. “In an industry that’s historically been dominated by men, mentorship becomes a powerful tool for levelling the playing field. It’s not just about imparting technical skills. No, mentoring is about sharing the unwritten rules, the unspoken nuances, and the invaluable insights that can only come from experience. Mentors essentially tell budding female fintechers, ‘You belong here, and I’m here to help you succeed’. “Mentoring relationships tend to involve members of the same gender. This highlights the need for more women to step into mentorship roles, providing guidance, support, and a clear path for the next generation of women in fintech.”
Eliza Arnold, Founder at Retirement Savings Platform Arnie
“Mentorship and knowledge sharing are invaluable. They offer women in fintech tailored guidance, insights from experienced professionals, and a chance to broaden their horizons. In an industry that is often male-dominated, fostering women’s talent through mentorship can pave the way for their success and build a more diverse future for fintech.”
Jackie Toole, Vice President of Financial Services at NTT DATA
“I think mentorships are very important and it’s not just about women mentoring women. I’ve had a lot of success in my career with support from both male and female advocates. I am at the point in my career where I’m trying to give back more too but I feel like I get as much out of the mentorships as the person that is being mentored. I learn more about the organisation and it helps me understand what’s happening in other areas to me.”
Stacey Wilkinson, API Growth Manager at NatWest
“Humans by nature are always looking up to individuals and it’s incredibly important if there is somebody within your industry that you can look up to that really helps you pave and shape your career path and the choices that you make as well. At NatWest we have a number of employee-led networks that are focused on inclusivity to help individuals of all genders to learn, grow, develop and find mentors internally. So I think we do a lot internally that’s aligned to the bank’s core value of inclusivity.”
Jena Gruenebaum, Director of Client Advocacy at Fintech Marygold & Co.
“The goal of mentorship should be to provide guidance, support and encouragement. For women in fintech, it can enhance confidence in their abilities and underscore that they absolutely belong at the table. Mentors can also help navigate the systemic challenges women face across many industries, like overcoming biases and balancing personal and professional workloads in a way that often doesn’t affect men to the same degree. Women who have come before them and advanced their careers can be crucial in providing guidance.”
“Mentorship isn’t about getting someone with ‘chief’ in their title to talk to you once a month; it’s about finding someone you can learn real skills from”
Danielle Pepin, Head of Product, Portfolio Monitoring and Valuation, ESG and Mobile at Dynamo Software
“Mentorship and knowledge sharing are critical to growing talent in fintech. But, the toughest part isn’t setting up formal mentoring programs – it’s extending the informal mentorships to include more people and cross traditional boundaries. Some of the open-handed knowledge sharing and mentorship that blossoms in healthy and inclusive environments are hard to transplant because they happen organically when people feel respected and secure. It can’t be replaced with formal programs if they ignore the roots of these relationships. “I’ve found the best approach is to keep in touch with people you have respected and learned from, and think about how the relationship can be mutually beneficial. It can also be wise to put titles aside. Mentorship isn’t about getting someone with ‘chief’ in their title to talk to you once a month; it’s about finding someone you can learn real skills from. My best mentor early in my career was a financial analyst several years younger than me who shared so much valuable advice from her background and life experience that it completely changed my career path. My formal mentor at that time was a vice president, but this informal relationship was ultimately much more impactful.”
Kelli Hobbs, VP, Head of US Business Development at Valuedynamx
“Having mentors and sharing knowledge are incredibly important when it comes to helping anyone, and especially women, succeed in a historically male-dominated industry. I’ve been fortunate enough to have both male and female mentors that have really helped me grow as a leader in this space. “I like to think of mentors as ‘personal trainers’ for your career. They give you honest feedback, make you face your weaknesses, and can help boost your confidence. With the guidance of my own mentors, I went from being a sales manager to effectively navigating and moderating board and C-suite meetings and having CEOs seek my counsel on various topics. “Mentors can be a rich resource, sharing anecdotes, and drawing from their own experiences to pass on knowledge and experiences. For women navigating male-dominated industries, mentors can equip us to navigate the unique challenges we may face. From my firsthand experience, this was an invaluable resource for me. “I’ve noticed that many companies now focus on diversity and are trying to bring more talented women onboard. But it’s also up to us women to tap into resources and networks to share what we know. This is especially important as we pave the way for the next generation of female leaders, not just in our industry, but everywhere.”
Source
Article published by The Fintech Times.
