Anthony Simpson – April 2024

This month, we recognise Anthony Simpson for his outstanding commitment to guiding and supporting professionals within our community. With extensive experience and a passion for empowering others, Anthony exemplifies the spirit of mentorship. Anthony was nominated by Lorna Lyon, his first WIBF mentee and is now mentoring three other women via the WIBF programme. In his day job, Anthony is Head of Liquidity and Markets at Tesco Bank.

We asked Anthony a few questions to find out more about his mentoring experience.

How did you get involved with WIBF and what prompted you to become a mentor?

I heard about WIBF through two colleagues who work in my team.  It was great to see an organisation like WIBF being very visible within Tesco Bank.  I was lucky enough to know Victoria Pringle on the matching team, enabling me to get into the detail of what WIBF needed from mentors and how I might be able to help.  With two of my three children girls, one of whom is already in the finance industry, WIBF’s objective struck a chord with me that I couldn’t ignore.

In what ways do you believe mentorship contributes to personal and professional growth, both for the mentor and the mentee?

Mentorship contributes in many ways, but the key benefit is it builds confidence and clarity of thinking.  Human beings are used to routine!  We are taught it from the earliest of ages as babies, so most people have a natural aversion to change.  Having to flex the way we think, our future plans, and what we perhaps expected the next year to bring can be unsettling and full of pitfalls.  Mentorship can really help the mentee think logically about how to navigate change, their career, or a project they are presently involved in.  It may even determine whether change is something they even want to embark on at this stage of their personal and professional lives, or whether the status quo is the better decision.  It provides the courage and confidence to make the key decisions they’ve been holding back from and move forwards with no regrets.

For mentors, it helps us to understand how our teams, colleagues or stakeholders might be thinking about their careers and it brings a fresh perspective to things when you see the challenges people face in other institutions.  For me personally, as a mentor, it’s made me a better leader and colleague which can only benefit my career and that of my team.  I’ve become better at listening and observing, understanding individual and collective motivations, and whilst I see my role as a mentor as one of guidance, I think it has also improved my influencing and stakeholder management skills.

What have you most enjoyed and/or found most rewarding about your mentoring relationship with Lorna?

Lorna was my first mentee with WIBF, and we had a similar outlook on lots of things which meant we got on very well from our first meeting.  One thing that worked really well straight away was all our conversations had the right level of candour and transparency.  It really helped in sidelining the unhelpful noise, and focusing on the key aspects of what Lorna was looking for guidance on.  I didn’t have much understanding of the world Lorna operated in so it was very interesting for me to learn a little more about that, and for the two of us to cross-reference the different approaches between our two parts of the industry.

In exploring Lorna’s key motivators and demotivators I think it helped Lorna to determine her preferred near term career pathway more easily, or at the very least, what she didn’t want to do.  It is great to see Lorna is now heavily involved with WIBF as Glasgow Chair, and that things are going well in her role at Phoenix Group.

I have since mentored Poppy who is now on the Future Leaders Shadow Board of WIBF, London, and am currently in the middle of two further mentoring partnerships via WIBF.

What key qualities do you believe are essential for an effective mentor, and how do you cultivate them?

There are many qualities required, but so far I think listening, and probing are the two most critical qualities to being an effective mentor.  You are not there to lead or influence in my opinion, but to guide and help your mentee solve whatever issue, problem or challenge they currently have.  For some, that will simply be about how to grow their network, or improve their personal brand.  For others it will be exploring different career paths.  At all times it’s important to listen, and pick out those key themes that consistently motivate, or conversely, discourage, the mentee and then probe in a way that helps them recognise the difference.  This is then a great enabler for them in determining the best outcomes and pathways going forwards.

What advice would you give someone who was considering becoming a mentor for WIBF?

Don’t hesitate!  It’s a great way of widening your network and meeting new people from different parts of the finance industry.  It’s very rewarding to play some small part in someone’s career development and personal growth, and assist in the overall objectives of WIBF.

Have you had yourself and how did it help you?

I have used mentors in the past, internally and externally.  It’s a very effective way to challenge your thinking and provoke new ideas to problem solve.  It also provides insight into other institutions and their best practices.

Thank you Anthony!

At WIBF we are committed to providing members with someone who can help them shape their career and achieve their goals.  People who choose to mentor provide invaluable experience, knowledge and help to unlock potential in future leaders.  It is a rewarding experience which can enrich your own career, develop your own leadership skills and give you new perspectives. 

If you too want to be a part of the journey to support women in the industry, please sign up to join the community of people already committed to creating a legacy and shaping the leaders of the future.