Diary of a WIBF CEO

Dear all,

I’m writing this from Portugal, at the tail end of what has been a wonderfully slow summer break.

There has been a lot of time by the pool and on the beach, plenty of time with my family and, rather less predictably, a significant amount of time fostering 8-week-old rescue puppies alongside my own two rescue dogs, who come away with us each year.

If you’ve never tried combining relaxation with a small pack of puppies, I can confirm the two concepts are not entirely compatible.

But stepping away from the day-to-day has given me something I probably haven’t had enough of over the past six months: time to think.

And it turns out there has been quite a lot to think about.

Six months in

It’s now just over six months since I became CEO of WIBF. I arrived knowing that WIBF was a brilliant organisation with an extraordinary heritage, a committed community and enormous potential. What I probably underestimated was quite how much opportunity there was to build on all of that.

We’ve spent a lot of the past six months listening to members, corporate partners, volunteers and people across the industry, and asking what they value about WIBF, what we could do better and, perhaps most importantly, what WIBF should be in the years ahead. Those conversations have helped us get much clearer about where we’re going.

Our ambition is for WIBF to build the UK’s largest and most impactful career-long ecosystem for women in Financial Services and finance, and to be a powerful catalyst for gender-balanced leadership across our industry.

That doesn’t mean throwing away everything that already works, but it does mean being prepared to change quite a lot around it. We’re also taking a much harder look at how we operate – our technology, data and processes, but also simply how much we try to do.

We’ve reshaped our strategy around four areas: thought leadership, leadership acceleration, benchmarking & insights, and connection & influence. Behind those headings, there is already a lot happening. We’re looking at how WIBF can support women throughout their careers, including stronger leadership pathways and sponsorship, as well as some genuinely exciting ideas about what AI could enable us to do in future.

We’ve strengthened our Executive team and governance and brought in new expertise. We’re also taking a much harder look at how we operate – our technology, data and processes, but also simply how much we try to do. One conclusion we’ve already reached is that doing more isn’t always the answer. Next year, for example, we’ll run significantly fewer events, with a much greater focus on quality and impact.

We’re strengthening our regional presence and developing new Networks around different parts of the industry, including our emerging Women in Insurance Network.

We’re putting much more emphasis on evidence and insight. If WIBF wants to influence the industry – and we do – then a strong voice matters, but so does having the evidence to back it up.

There are some bigger questions we’re working through too. What should membership look like in the future? How can more women benefit from what WIBF does? Where can technology help us reach people we simply couldn’t reach before? And how do we make sure WIBF itself has a sustainable model for the future?

There is still a lot to do. In fact, the list occasionally feels longer now than it did six months ago, but I think that’s partly what happens when you start to see just how much is possible.

And we absolutely need our members to be part of it. If something here has sparked an idea, or made you think I’d like to help with that, please get in touch. WIBF has always been shaped by the people who give their time, ideas and energy to it, and that isn’t going to change.

One number that surprised me

While I’ve been reflecting on the past year, one number has really stuck with me.

1 million.

That’s how many impressions WIBF’s LinkedIn page generated between July 2025 and July 2026.

For an organisation of our size, that’s quite something and it was a useful reminder to me that WIBF is much bigger than the people who come to an event or take part in a programme. Our voice travels much further than that.

That gives us a real opportunity to influence conversations across the industry – and a responsibility to make sure we use that reach well.

What have I learned?

Probably enough for an entirely separate diary entry.

But one thing stands out… transformation doesn’t have to mean losing what made an organisation special in the first place. WIBF has been around for more than 45 years. It has history, relationships, warmth and an extraordinary volunteer community. I don’t want us to turn it into something unrecognisable in the pursuit of growth.

I want us to take the very best of WIBF and make sure it is relevant, ambitious and impactful for the next generation. That’s the bit I’m most excited about!

For now, though, I have puppies to return, a suitcase to pack and six months’ worth of ideas to turn into action with you all.

I hope you’ve had or are still having a fabulous summer break.

See you in September. 🙂

Vicky