In the UK, women are less likely to invest, less likely to feel confident talking about finance and even in the professional industry, there are more investment funds run by men called Dave than all women. In a pandemic, where reliance on savings, budgeting and financial prospects have become crucial issues, we have invited three very experienced women to discuss what’s stopping women from investing and how can we empower more women to do so.

Carla Morris, Wealth Manager at Brewin Dolphin

Carla Morris joined Brewin Dolphin in 2012, having started her career as a financial planner in 2000. She is a Chartered Financial Planner and Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute. Her expertise covers a wide range of financial planning areas, including tax-efficient investment, retirement planning and Inheritance Tax planning, as well as cashflow modelling. Outside of work Carla has a keen interest in cooking and travelling.

Emile Bellet, Founder of Vestpod and Bestselling Author

Emilie Bellet is the founder and CEO of Vestpod and the author of Amazon bestseller You’re Not Broke, You’re Pre-Rich. Formerly working in private equity, Emilie launched Vestpod to change the conversation about money and empower women financially. Emilie started her career at Lehman Brothers where she worked as an analyst in private equity merchant banking. She was then part of the spin out fund Trilantic Capital Partners.

Reflecting on her years working in finance, she realized she was not saving or investing enough and could not find the support to do so. She then decided to launch Vestpod for women - as a way to provide education and a community for women to start breaking the taboo around money. Vestpod is a digital platform with a popular weekly newsletter as well as personal finance workshops and networking events. Emilie frequently speaks at corporate events and book festivals, as well as co-authoring The WealthTech book, and has been featured in the Financial Times, BBC News, Private Equity News, Vogue, Glamour, This Is Money, Refinery 29 and other publications.

Nicola Coates, Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Member CISI

Nicola Coates started her finance career with an English Language & Literature degree and over the past fifteen years has become one of the most qualified Financial Planners in the UK, having trained and worked across several financial planning firms across the north of England and Scotland. She is a Fellow of and Chartered Financial Planner with the Personal Finance Society and a Certified Financial Planner with the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment.

She became Scotland Chair for the Institute of Financial Planning and after 4 great years working at a family-run independent financial advisors firm in Glasgow she is now embarking on her next chapter and fulfilling a life long ambition to establish her own firm. Nicola has experienced different economic conditions, advising clients during the last recession and working for different firms each with their own ethos. She has experience working with clients who have very complex financial circumstances and her experience will no doubt empower women to think about their financial situation and steps to improve it.

This event is being run virtually via Zoom* - Please ensure you have registered with us in advance of the session to ensure you receive the joining instructions.