Awards Alumni Victoria Pringle

Victoria Pringle won Volunteer of the year award in 2023 alongside her mentoring team colleague, Samantha Carnley.

Victoria has over 15 years of experience in Financial Services, predominantly within Treasury and Financial Planning & Analysis, across a variety of roles. She is a qualified accountant (CIMA) and treasurer (ACT). She currently works as a Senior Liquidity Risk Manager for Tesco Bank and is responsible for delivering the Banks ILAAP and Recovery Plan.

We caught up with Victoria to find out more about what she does for WIBF, on winning the award and why mentoring is so important to her.

How long have you been volunteering with WIBF and can you tell us what inspired you to start volunteering with Women in Banking and Finance (WIBF)?

I have been a volunteer with WIBF since January 2021. My mentor at the time Yvonne Irwin suggested that I apply for the Chair of WIBF Glasgow position. Yvonne was previously involved in WIBF (Edinburgh). She explained all the benefits of volunteering and being involved in such a worthwhile network. Gender equality is something that I am passionate about so applying for the role as Chair was a great fit. This was an opportunity for me to give back and make a real difference driving change in financial services.

Can you describe some of the key activities and responsibilities you have as a member of the mentoring team at WIBF?

I joined the Mentoring team in March 2021, responsible for all the Scotland matches. I then stepped into the role as Co-Head of mentoring in June 2021. I was initially responsible for the development of a mentoring database in Excel, to allow us to automate the matching process as much as possible. This database allows us to capture all mentee / mentor data and carry out the matching process centrally. Previously each region worked in isolation with multiple individuals responsible for matching, and there was a high degree of data duplication. I streamlined the entire process, building a database that captured all critical information. I was then responsible for building up the mentoring team, alongside my colleague Sam Carnley, ensuring we had representation across all the regions.

Some of the key activities I am responsible for now include:
• Running the monthly mentoring calls and set the agenda for these meetings
• Uploading the fortnightly data tapes into the database and matching the mentors and mentees
• Allocating the mid and end of term emails out to the regional team
• Maintaining the database and monitor mentoring data
• Downloading mentor and mentee feedback and review data for potential mentor of the month candidates
• Resolving any mentor / mentee queries that are sent into the central mailbox
• Ensuring the team is up to date with how many matches are outstanding and what upcoming events/ comm’s we need to deliver to drive mentor and mentee engagement
• Arranging and leading mentoring events in Scotland
• Scope out requirements for new mentoring platform

The WIBF mentoring team and central WIBF team have also developed the mentoring materials that are distributed to mentors and mentees, as well as the communications that are sent out centrally.

What did winning the Volunteer of the year award mean to you personally and professionally?

Personally, it really meant the world to be nominated as Volunteer of the Year. To be recognised for my efforts was just wonderful. I enjoy leading the WIBF mentoring programme, completing all the matches for WIBF and the challenge of balancing time to do this alongside work and home commitments. I have experienced the benefits of having a great mentor and I hope that my small part in this programme makes a huge difference to the mentees and mentors in their assigned relationships.

Professionally, to have had this recognition from WIBF did not go unnoticed. Following this award I received recognition from Tesco Bank (CFO – Richard Henderson), who nominated me as an ‘inspiring woman’ for International Women’s Day within the theme of ‘inspiring inclusion’. The nomination itself highlighted the work I have been doing for WIBF. This in turn led to more interest in WIBF itself and increased the mentor sign ups from Tesco Bank (and wider), which is a win as we are always looking for mentors!

What skills or lessons have you gained from your volunteering work that have been valuable in your professional life?

I believe my leadership skills have vastly improved since joining WIBF. I have not line managed a team professionally for a number of years, so having the opportunity to lead the Glasgow Branch and Mentoring team has been invaluable. By being clear on ‘why’ from the onset has made leading two teams of volunteers easier. We are all working towards the same goal, to promote gender equality and inclusion in financial services, knowing that the actions we take now are paving the way (hopefully) for future generations as well as ourselves. I like to lead by example, and I believe by putting the work in to ensure the mentoring programme (and WIBF Scotland) is a success this inspires others to also get involved.

I have also been working on my presentation and public speaking skills since joining WIBF. Public speaking is not something that comes naturally to me and I tend to feel extremely nervous. However, I’ve been using all the opportunities presented to me via WIBF to speak at events, either online or in-person, as well as leading the monthly meetings for the WIBF mentoring programme. Whilst I am still no expert I can now manage to speak at events, which is something I could never have done four years ago!

Both improved skill sets have filtered through into my professional life, as I am better equipped to present at senior manager meetings and have taking on opportunities to manage others when they arise.

What has been the most rewarding experience or moment for you while volunteering with WIBF?

The most rewarding moment has been receiving an email from a mentee of the WIBF mentoring programme who wanted to let me know that her experience with her mentor completely changed her life. She advised that she felt under-valued and unhappy in her previous place of employment, and her mentor helped her find a new role and now she was very happy and enjoying the new challenge. I have had a number of similar emails over the years from mentee’s (and mentors), but it was the first email I received from that specific mentee that I’ll always remember. It is the principal reason for my involvement in the mentoring programme, as I know the difference a good mentor can make to an individual’s career.

How do you believe mentoring can impact the careers of women in the banking and finance sector?

Mentoring provides the mentee (and the mentor) with a different perspective and outlook on a problem / challenge they have been facing, such as navigating a career change, how to take that next step or even support building a person’s confidence. Individuals can become entrenched in a particular way of thinking, and so having a mentor facilitates the ability to consider alternative approaches or solutions. Working with a mentor is often all that is needed for women to have the courage to take on that promotion or side-step.

I also firmly believe mentoring allows individuals to widen their network. The narrative in the workplace used to be it is ‘what you know’, then it became ‘who you know’, and now it is very much ‘who knows you!’. This is particularly evident in financial services in the UK. The more women we can connect with the right individuals at the right time the better!

If you are interested in the WIBF mentoring programme, please visit this page to find out more. If you’d like to become a mentor for WIBF, click here.