Farewell Anna!

On 15 June, colleagues, volunteers, members and friends came together at our Summer Social to celebrate Anna Lane as she stepped down as WIBF President after more than five years of dedicated leadership. It was an evening filled with gratitude, laughter and reflection as we thanked Anna for everything she has given to WIBF. While stepping down from the presidency, Anna remains an important part of the WIBF community in her new role as a member of our Leadership Council.

You can read more about the evening here, and you can read her final president’s message here.

As we mark the end of an important chapter for WIBF, we also wanted to reflect on Anna’s presidency and the lasting legacy she leaves behind.

A steady voice in shifting times: Anna Lane’s presidency at WIBF

When Anna Lane took on the presidency of Women in Banking and Finance UK in January 2021, the sector was still deep in pandemic disruption. Offices were closed, careers were on pause, and there was a very real risk that progress on gender equity would quietly stall.

From her very first President’s Message, Anna set the tone. There was no grandstanding – just clarity. In early 2021, she acknowledged uncertainty while urging members not to “lose momentum on inclusion when it matters most”. That balance – realism paired with resolve – would become a hallmark of her presidency.

2021: Connection, resilience and climate

Throughout 2021, Anna’s messages focused on connection and safeguarding progress. She repeatedly highlighted the disproportionate impact of remote working on women’s careers, warning that visibility gaps could become promotion gaps.

That same year, WIBF stepped into policy conversations around COP26. In reflecting on climate and finance, Anna positioned WIBF within broader systemic debates, noting that sustainable finance and gender equity were not separate agendas but “part of the same question about long-term value and responsible leadership”.

Even in her first year, it was clear she saw WIBF not only as a network, but as a voice.

2022: Hybrid work and holding leadership to account

By 2022, her tone sharpened. As firms debated return-to-office mandates, Anna addressed boards directly in a message titled Hybrid vs Office: Assessing the True Cost of the Return. She cautioned leaders to look beyond optics and asked whether decisions were “grounded in evidence or nostalgia”.

Her call for evidence around Sexism in the City further signalled a shift from commentary to accountability. Rather than relying on anecdote, she urged members to contribute data, arguing that “we cannot change what we do not measure”.

Throughout 2022, she reinforced a consistent message: gender equality is not ideological. It is commercial. It is reputational. It is strategic. In one message she wrote, “Inclusion is not a favour to women; it is fundamental to building institutions people trust.”

2023: From advocacy to influence

In 2023, WIBF’s voice grew more assured. Anna’s President’s Messages increasingly addressed policymakers and senior decision-makers, linking inclusion to economic resilience and long-term competitiveness.

Her March 2023 message emphasised that progress required “more than celebration – it requires structural intent”. That phrase captured the evolution of her leadership. International Women’s Day was not treated as a marketing moment, but as a checkpoint.

She continued to challenge complacency. When economic headwinds prompted cost-cutting across the sector, she warned against treating diversity initiatives as expendable. Equality, she wrote, “is not a fair-weather commitment”.

2024: Mentorship, strategy and consolidation

By 2024, Anna’s focus had broadened into consolidation and scale. The mentoring programme was reframed as a lever for systemic change, not simply career advice. In her International Women’s Day call to action, she urged members to see mentorship as “a shared responsibility – not just guidance, but advocacy”.

The year-end review reflected tangible growth: strengthened regional branches, expanded partnerships and an increasingly coordinated national presence. Her tone remained measured, but there was quiet pride in what the organisation had achieved. “Progress happens,” she noted, “when purpose meets partnership.”

It was also during this period that WIBF’s positioning as a social enterprise with sector influence became clearer, culminating in Anna being shortlisted as a finalist for Social Enterprise Women’s Champion of the Year. Recognition, yes – but also validation of a long-term strategic shift.

2025: Trust, investment and enduring purpose

In 2025, Anna’s messages took on a reflective depth. In Weathering the Storm: Why Gender Equality is Still Good Business, she returned to a central thesis of her presidency: that equality and performance are intertwined.

“When markets are volatile,” she wrote, “values matter more, not less.”

Her mid-year review spoke of “progress, partnerships and purpose” – three words that neatly summarised her presidency. She emphasised investment in people, safeguarding trust and ensuring that inclusion was embedded into systems rather than sitting alongside them.

Across her final year, she continued to argue that gender equity strengthens credibility, innovation and long-term stability. In Investing in People, Protecting Trust, she reminded readers that “trust is built through fairness, transparency and opportunity”.

The through-line

Anna became President at a time when WIBF needed both stability and ambition. Over the next five years, she helped steer the organisation from supporting members through the uncertainty of the pandemic to becoming an increasingly influential voice within financial services.

Under her leadership, WIBF strengthened its mentoring programmes, expanded its regional network, developed new partnerships, increased its policy influence and grew its reputation as a trusted advocate for gender equity across the sector. The organisation became more confident in its voice, clearer in its purpose and increasingly recognised as a thought leader within financial services.

Throughout her presidency, one theme remained constant. Anna believed equality should never be treated as optional or a “nice to have”. She championed evidence over assumption, encouraged organisations to think beyond short-term initiatives and consistently argued that inclusion leads to stronger organisations, better decisions and greater trust.

But while her strategic leadership has undoubtedly shaped WIBF, those who worked alongside her will remember far more than the President’s Messages.

They’ll remember her warmth, her infectious enthusiasm and her unwavering belief in the power of the WIBF community. She cared deeply about the organisation, its volunteers and members, and the thousands of women whose careers WIBF exists to support. Passionate, thoughtful and, on occasion, wonderfully outspoken, she was never afraid to ask difficult questions or challenge the status quo if she believed it would move things forward.

Anna and deadlines also enjoyed a slightly flexible relationship. Those of us fortunate enough to work with her became adept at translating “I’ll send it over tomorrow” into “keep an eye on your inbox”. It was all part of working with someone who poured enormous thought and care into everything she did. She wanted every message, speech and initiative to be the best it could be, and somehow, despite the occasional moving deadline, everything always came together.

Alongside Anna was her Executive Assistant, Paula Foreman, whose calm organisation, kindness and good humour were invaluable. A volunteer who generously gave her own time to support WIBF, Paula somehow managed to keep pace with Anna’s endless energy and ideas while quietly ensuring everything stayed on track. She has been an absolute pleasure to work with and an important part of Anna’s presidency.

And then there are the moments that become part of WIBF folklore. Few involved in the 2024 WIBF Awards will forget the speaker who accidentally walked off stage with Anna’s speaking notes. While everyone else saw the funny side, it’s probably fair to say Anna still hasn’t entirely forgiven them.

Those moments perhaps say as much about her presidency as the strategic milestones. Behind every event, partnership, President’s Message and campaign was someone who cared deeply about getting things right and who believed passionately in the work WIBF was doing.

As Anna steps down, she leaves behind an organisation that is stronger, more influential and better connected than the one she inherited. More importantly, she leaves behind a community of colleagues, volunteers, members and friends who will miss her enormously.

In one of her President’s Messages, Anna wrote that progress requires “structural intent”. Her presidency has certainly embodied that.

But for many of us, it is the warmth, humour, determination and humanity she brought to the role every day that will be remembered most.

Thank you, Anna, for your leadership, your passion and your unwavering belief in WIBF. You leave the organisation in a stronger position than you found it, and all of us who have had the privilege of working with you wish you every success in whatever comes next. You will be greatly missed.