Awards Alumni – Bano Sheikh

Bano is a partner in Financial Services Audit at KPMG LLP, and was the only female audit asset management partner when she joined KPMG in 2019.

She was also the first female to complete the ACCA qualification in Pakistan and she was among the first few female Muslim partner in the Big 4; it was this inspirational timeline of personal achievement and public commitment to inclusivity that marked Bano out as the winner for the WIBF judges. You can read more about her career and professional achievements here, but this time we wanted to get a little more personal. So our Awards Alumni team got in touch to ask some questions…

How did it feel to win WIBF’s Inclusive Leaders Award and what impact did it have?

I was over the moon! I still remember the reaction I had when I received the email confirmation! I was sitting with my team at a client site and I jumped out of my chair with tears of joy in my eyes. My team got super excited from my reaction and it was a moment of pride for me. A girl who came from Pakistan via the Middle East to the UK – never in her wildest of dreams thought all of this is possible. But there you go, fate has something else in store for me!

The personal impact was massive, it made me feel proud, got me motivated in terms of what I should do next and think about how do I challenge myself more in the next steps of career goal setting.

The other more meaningful impact is on the community that I represent. Being a female Muslim partner in a Big 4 firm, from a South Asian background, this award means I can influence the dreams of many like me. They need to see a role model, a person like themselves achieve higher goals in the profession and be recognised for it. This creates the excitement that they equally can make their dream come true.

Winning this award and when I posted this on social media the immediate reaction of more than 13k impressions and over 300+likes and comments means business!

You attended the awards celebration event in London, what can you tell us about that evening?

It was a superb night of celebrations. The room was buzzing with pride, joy and cheers from friends, colleagues and family who were there in support of their loved ones. I created a new set of friends and connections that night. For me this night was even so more memorable as one of my childhood best friends (CEO & founder of Kibsons E- commerce Halima Junmani) attended this with me. We have seen the bumpy ride to success together over 20 years and we could really resonate on what this all means!

The evening reminded of a quote I love – Appreciation comes in many forms – The universe sends you changes. Not to break you but to make you shine stronger!

Your achievements are extraordinary, both in terms of your career and as an inclusivity catalyst. Is that how it feels to you? Do you  have a sense of surprise at all or was it inevitable?

I am very proud of what I have been able to achieve for myself. I came to the UK alone, scared and a shy person, not knowing what the future will hold for me. But today I am proud confident woman who achieved far more than what she dreamed for! So for me, how my life both professionally and personally evolved was less planned and more full of pleasant surprises.

I never thought I would take up the challenge to travel to so many destinations and learn different cultures as part of my work commitments or personal ventures. Every step outside my comfort zone made me fearless and more eager to achieve a path of success.

Do you recall the first decisions/choices that set you off as an inclusivity champion? 

I believe I have been an inclusivity champion throughout my career in the UK. I made a conscious decision when I moved to the UK to be open and honest about my faith and practice it exactly the same way as when I was in Pakistan and Dubai. Being Muslim and continuing to practice my faith meant I had to take people through a journey with me on why this is important to me and how this is my authentic self. I felt from the very start of my career I was making conscious choices to ensure I display the values and live them openly. I am still doing this so all people of any diverse background can do it and feel safe about it.

How would you illustrate the progress of inclusivity in the financial sector over your career? 

In my personal experience over the past 15 years, things are positively different now than when I arrived, and where I want to see myself in the future. There is a conscious effort to make things right and ensure diversity at all levels, with a lot of targets in place which are measurable and explainable. There is always more to do, but a lot of work has been put into it and we should celebrate where we are now. I had difficult challenges as a young professional woman in Pakistan and then the Middle East, but I definitely felt more supported here when I arrived.

What is the best support a corporate employer can provide for individual achievement and to encourage inclusivity? 

Listening through feedback channels, recognition and proper goals to achieve various targets. I believe I am enabled through the leadership at KPMG to do the work I do for the networks because they value my contribution, and recognise that I am passionate about it. They have made ways to enable me to do what I have done because they understand how important is it for me and the wider internal and external community. So for me, its all about listening.

Personally, what propels me forward, more so now than before, is the impact that I am having by being a role model for women and girls and ethnic people around me. I am proud that I can do my bit by being that one person that they can look up to encourage them to achieve their own dreams/goals. Recently, I  found that at events and panels it’s the audiences through their questions that inspires me to set my own higher goals which then motivates me to take that next step outside my comfort zone with my leadership. They help me define the agenda for myself which is the best way to continue to grow yourself.

What has been the key advice or support of your career? What do you wish you had been told earlier? Or is there any advice you wish you’d listened to?

The key piece of advice I was given was Ask for help and feedback don’t assume someone will take care of your career for you! You want to achieve your goals and aspirations, so you go for it!

What I wish I was told earlier is This time shall pass … nothing stays the same and bad times are replaced by good times. Also, don’t be too hard on yourself and just because you didn’t hit your goal when you planned to hit, it doesn’t mean you will not achieve it at all. You don’t change your goals, you just change the approach to get to them.

Any advice I wished I had listened to more? Yes for sure! I wish I could have enjoyed more than stressed more in the earlier parts of my career. But now I am much better and disciplined around this!

What would you say to young people starting out in the financial services sector? What challenges do they have ahead? How can they manage them?

The financial services industry is evolving rapidly globally. The challenges the industry face are understandable through the news on daily basis. Rapid changes and challenges still make the sector very exciting to be part of. I would say to anyone new coming to the sector that they should be prepared for a continuous journey of learning, changing your mindset and transformation.

There is so much to benefit from and, over time with the experiences you will get, you will have evolved your skillset immensely from where you began. While there could be challenges we can focus on, I would rather the young joiners focus on the opportunities it will bring them – including the global mindset, the diverse and richer experience of diverse teams and the broad range of work that you can get involved in!

Look out for more stories from our WIBF Awards Alumni community over the next few months! Do you want to be involved in shaping the alumni? Do you have any questions? Get in touch via [email protected].