And that’s a wrap!- What WIBF achieved in 2024 – Part two
news published date 13 December 2024April
The WIBF 2024 Awards for Achievement nomination process went live. These prestigious awards continue to celebrate exceptional women making an impact in the banking and finance sectors.
Research released in April highlighted the ongoing need for systemic change. A Reuters report revealed that women in the UK finance industry earn, on average, a third less than their male counterparts. Data from 21 major financial firms showed a staggering 28.8% pay gap, underscoring the importance of WIBF’s efforts to champion women for senior, higher-paid roles.
The month also saw WIBF welcome five new members to the Student Engagement Strategy team. Launched in September 2023, the initiative supports undergraduate women aspiring to enter finance by providing guidance, resources and opportunities.
Our partnership with Impact Match saw the first masterclass Out and Outstanding take place on 11 April. Pips Bunce, a leading DE&I voice, led a discussion on advocacy, activism and allyship.
On 18 April, the WIBF Senior Business Leaders team held an event on Getting on the Boards – Path and Journeys, kindly hosted by IG Group in London. The panel discussed their journey to becoming Non Executive Directors and the importance of focusing on roles aligning with personal values, as well as realising how much we all bring to our roles.
On 23 April, WIBF’s Awards for Achievement Alumni enjoyed an evening reconnecting and pledging support for progress. Sponsored by Deutsche Bank, the event brought together past winners, shortlisters and supporters, offering a vibrant space for networking and collaboration. Abisola Barber Sherwood, our Awards Alumni community lead, said “This network and this community means so much to me, and they’ve supported my career every step of the way”.
WIBF Norwich and East Anglia branch hosted a thought-provoking in-person networking event in partnership with Birketts. Olivia Toulson, Legal Director of Birkett’s Employment Team, joined Jonathan Shevlane, the firm’s Employment Law Trainer, on a panel discussion on diversity and inclusion in the finance industry, asking whether things have really improved in the last few years and whether renewed attempts to do so now are just more examples of box ticking and buck passing.
May
The WIBF Award Alumni met up in May. Kindly hosted by Deutsche Bank at their London offices, this event celebrated the achievements of talented women, bringing together those who have won and been shortlisted for their exceptional performance and contribution in the annual WIBF Awards for Achievement. It was a great opportunity to make new connections, share success and shine a light on talent past and present.
On 14 May, the WIBF team attended the Legal & General Accelerate Progress event in London. This was an evening for their employees to learn about their various employee resource groups. WIBF was invited as one of the few external suppliers as L&G had recently upgraded its corporate WIBF membership from Partner to Sponsor and now offered 200 employees the opportunity to become a WIBF member, which we were naturally thrilled about!
That same evening, the latest Senior Business Leaders event was kindly hosted by KPMG in London. We heard practical insights and guidance on how to secure board positions and our speakers generously shared their expertise and experience.
16 May marked a milestone for WIBF as we hosted our first Nottingham event at Capital One, who kindly hosted us at their offices in the city for an impactful event focused on actionable recommendations and policy changes to advance gender diversity in financial services.
On 23 May, WIBF launched its Mentor Curriculum webinars, a six-month series of 90-minute virtual sessions designed to support and inspire our mentors. These webinars provided a platform for mentors to discuss topics such as having an impact as a mentor, owning the value created and understanding behavioural styles.
On 30 May, we proudly promoted the FCA Financial Inclusion TechSprint Showcase Day in Glasgow. This exciting programme featured 12 teams that had been working hard to develop technological solutions aimed at dismantling barriers to financial inclusion.
We were thrilled to announce that several members of our Future Leaders Shadow Board were shortlisted for the We Are The City Rising Star Awards. They were Lizzy Merrall, Philippa Marshall, Lauren Smith, Andriana Stampoli, and Lucy Ellis-Keeler.
May also marked a bittersweet farewell to Jess Funke Maspes, WIBF’s Corporate Partnerships Manager. We were, however, delighted to welcome Ras Gohil who took over the role and has since been supporting Nicky magnificently.
June
June began with National Volunteers Week, a time to honour the extraordinary efforts of volunteers nationwide. At WIBF, volunteers are at the heart of everything we do, driving our mission to grow the talent pipeline of professional women in banking and finance.
Anna’s message highlighted the significance of volunteering, quoting Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson: “Volunteers are the backbone of our society. Their contributions go far beyond the time they give, fostering community spirit and creating lasting change”. The socio-economic contribution of volunteers is valued at an estimated £19-£20 billion annually. On a personal level, volunteering fosters growth, skill development and a sense of purpose. Anna expressed gratitude to WIBF’s dedicated volunteers for ensuring the organisation continues to thrive.
WIBF had a fantastic presence at the MoneyNext Banking Transformation Summit in London. The two-day event included a special networking breakfast hosted by WIBF, with representatives such as Gwen Faure, Urszula Wysocka, Ras Gohil and Nicky King.
WIBF also partnered with Scottish Financial Enterprise to host its first-ever joint mini conference, held at RBC Brewin Dolphin. This event marked a significant milestone in expanding WIBF’s reach in Scotland and engagement with key companies. Setting the scene were Anna Lane and Sandy Begbie CBE FRSE, who warmly welcomed members of both groups and provided some brilliant insight and statistics into the current state. The panel Making the Most of Your Finances helped us understand the importance of the topic given 23% of women argue that they’re NOT confident in financial decision making versus 11% of men.
WIBF proudly supported the inaugural Consumer Duty Leadership Awards, held in London. Congratulations to The Wisdom Council, which won the prize for Consumer Duty Leadership in Consumer Investments. Led by WIBF’s Anna Lane, the consultancy’s innovative work exemplifies leadership and dedication to consumer-focused financial practices.
Led by Baljit Kaur, we hosted a Partner Roundtable on The Evolution of Flexible Working Arrangements. The session explored the increasing demand for flexible work patterns, the role of leadership in championing these practices, and practical strategies like piloting new working models and managing client deadlines effectively. Key insights included the importance of manager training to design flexibility into work, balance organisational and customer needs, and foster connectivity within hybrid teams. The discussion underscored the value of flexible working in building more inclusive workplaces.
On 12 June we had our second joint event with WiBF Australia and were thrilled to be able to connect again across the miles. Welcomed by Stephanie Girard and Anna Lane – the CEOs of WiBF Australia and WIBF UK respectively – our panel of incredible panel of industry leaders and cybersecurity experts shared invaluable insights on emerging risks, innovative strategies and the latest advancements in cybersecurity technology. We also delved into AI-driven threat detection, blockchain security and proactive defence mechanisms tailored specifically for financial institutions.
On 16 June, we had a great night at IG Group’s rooftop garden in London to bring together WIBF’s Future Leader network. It was fantastic to see so many brilliant women in attendance, with lots of networking, catching up and connecting, with delicious pizza!
On 19 June we partnered with the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency, hosted by Citi. Panelists Kelly Moffatt, Katharine Wooller, Emily Turner, and Elise Soucie had an insightful conversation on the intersection of TradFi and DeFi and how they could improve inclusion.