Our Stories

Our members and their stories are at the centre of WIBF’s identity. The women (and the men who champion us), from all career levels, are at the heart of the industry. Together, we are not afraid to say what needs to be said. We strive to go the furthest. We lead from the front. We drive change. We encourage solidarity. We are proud of our members’ achievements and the role WIBF plays in helping them get where they are. Read a selection of our member stories below. If you would like to share your story get in touch! digital@wibf.org.uk

Ciara Houlihan

HSBC Institutional Trust Services (Ireland) DAC

Awards shortlist

Ciara has used her extensive experience in Financial Services globally to lead and inspire others in championing women in her own organisation, HSBC and in the sector as a whole. This is evidenced through her work with HSBC’s ‘Balance’ network which supports recruitment, development, advancement and engagement of a gender-balanced workforce, where she is a local and European lead and through her extensive mentoring at HSBC and beyond.

Olya Meier

RBC

Awards shortlist

Olya founded and launched RFuture, a global employee group with the mission to engage, connect, empower, and inspire the next generation of leaders at RBC. RFuture provides a platform whereby employees can shape the next generation in banking in an inclusive and diverse environment through self-driven corporate entrepreneurship. Olya’s significant achievement has been a powerful example that determination, thinking outside the box and strong leadership can drive change in spite of lack of seniority.

Ayesa Latif

Citi

Awards shortlist

Ayesa is a Director and the Head of the EMEA e-Commerce sales team for Foreign Exchange (FX) and Local Market (LM) Rates and manages over a $100 million dollar business at Citi. Citi is an industry leader in FX with presence in 74 countries with market share of over 10% globally and the e-commerce business is a core component of their strategy to stay at the top of the market.

Alexandra Fogal

Barclays

Awards shortlist

Alex, at the age of 35 has delivered a lot of added value for clients and the business over the years. Currently a Director at Barclays Corporate, a Global Diversity Award winner at Barclays 2017 Diversity awards for Business Impact and shortlisted and runner up in the 2016 Insider Young Dealmaker of the Year.

Women Connect

Credit Suisse

Awards shortlist

Credit Suisse’s Women Connect initiative, led by Lisa London and Tanya Bhairo, has been nominated for driving the diversity agenda by establishing a highly successful, cross-divisional network that focuses on professional development and career management.

IT’s Her Future

KPMG

Awards shortlist

Since being founded in 2015, IT’s Her Future has grown from a team of five into a programme with seven work streams and over thirty committed members, all of whom are dedicated to driving the programme forward and seeing tangible results.

Balance Ireland Team

HSBC Ireland

Awards shortlist

For HSBC employees who aspire to work for an organisation with gender balance across all levels, the BALANCE network in Dublin provides colleagues and management with opportunities to influence the culture and the brand of the firm, develop their career within the firm, and feel more engaged with HSBC and their colleagues, both in Ireland and abroad.

Susan Urkevich

HSBC

Awards shortlist

Susan Urkevich is Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer for Corporate, Financials and Multinational Banking (CFMB) as well as Chief Operating Officer for Credit & Lending at HSBC. Susan’s role is far reaching and extends from overseeing capital management initiatives to leading change transformation programmes and risk management for a global division of the bank of which she serves on the executive management committee.

Raffaella Copper

Macquarie

Awards shortlist

Raffaella is an Associate Director in MIRA’s Investor Solutions Group (ISG). Raffaella has been with Macquarie since 2005, joining the firm with experience in Audit and M&A. Raffaella is widely regarded as an industry expert in the transport sector across Europe, with experience spanning airports, ports, roads and carparks. In recent times she has developed experience in the renewables sector, an area of strong investment growth and interest in the institutional investor community.

Alison McGregor

"Everyone has blind spots, even those of us who know about unconscious bias."

Award winner

As CEO Scotland, Alison is the senior leader responsible for the HSBC Group in Scotland, with over 4000 employees across a range of businesses. In addition to responsibility for people, customers and shareholders she has primary responsibility for maintaining the Group’s relationship with key external stakeholders and senior leaders with an interest and responsibility for supporting the growth of our economy.