Mira Ratyal – Co-Lead of the Future Leaders Network

Mira is on the Future Leaders Shadow Board (FLSB) and Co-Lead of the Future Leaders Network and is a Wealth and Personal Banking Sustainability Manager at HSBC. Prior to joining HSBC, she studied Philosophy at King’s College London and founded KCL BAME Women in the City, a society which focused on supporting BAME women prepare for graduate schemes in the City, they have hosted events with Saatchi, Claudia Lizah Armah and RBS.

Mira has always been passionate about gender equality and spoke on the issue in the House of Commons Chambers as a UK Youth Parliament representative. Currently, she sits on the Committee of the HSBC gender equality network, Balance in the UK and at Global level representing 36 markets.

We asked Mira a few questions to find out more…

How did you get involved with WIBF and the Future Leaders Shadow board?

I got involved with WIBF during the pandemic! I started my graduate role at HSBC during COVID and my cohort was the first to be onboarded virtually. The virtual world has challenges, but it also comes with so much opportunity to connect and network with others in just a few clicks.

I came across a WIBF mentoring event that was being promoted by our internal gender equality group called Balance. The event was led by Vanessa Vallely and I was so motivated to take up a WIBF membership and join the mentoring programme to put all my newly acquired knowledge to good use to help me with my next promotion.

I knew I wanted to get involved more involved with WIBF because it aligned with my values and passion and came across the shadow board, I kept an eye on job postings and found the perfect match in my role as co-lead of the Future Leaders Network.

Can you tell us more about the Future Leaders Network and what you hope to achieve?

The Future Leaders Network is a community for women who are in the first 10 years of their career, we recognise that when you roll off from a graduate programme talent development and growth of your personal network can be put on the backfoot, often not intentionally, but simply as you’re focusing on delivering the highest standard at work.

We wanted to create a network where women could talk about their experiences but also learn from trailblazers across financial services to support their career development. I am so passionate about this as our generation is working longer and moving away from the traditional linear career trajectories, more women are working across different business lines, industries and taking breaks to create their own ventures which is really exciting.

One of the most important areas for the network is to create peer to peer connections which are invaluable for personal and a professional reason. Asides from this we also want to leverage our community as a force to deliver on the GOOD finance framework, our future leaders will be shaping the future of financial services so it’s vital we champion and encourage the principles of the framework with our network.

What has been the most enjoyable part of being part of the FLSB so far?

The most enjoyable part of being part of the FLSB is working with amazingly talented and passionate women, not only peers in the FLSB but also management board members such as Gwen who runs our mentoring programme, who I adore!

What has been your career path and what are your professional ambitions?

I was part of HSBC’s Wealth and Personal Banking Graduate Programme and have worked in Conversational AI Chatbot, Global Customer Lifecycle Management and first direct. I joined my current team, Wealth and Personal Banking Sustainability to work on strategy and propositional development for our customers in the UK.

I have also been fortunate to support with the development of Global Climate Risk Steward Playbook development and work with my Chief Executive Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer’s teams on HSBC’s involvement with the Sustainable Markets Initiative Financial Services Taskforce.

I’m incredibly excited by the power of FinTech in financial services and in my field Climate Tech, and as I manage the relationship for many of our climate tech firms, I am keen to explore what a career in technology and innovation could look like.

Alongside my roles I have always been part of HSBC’s gender network Balance, I currently sit on both the Balance UK and Global Balance Committee. I am always hugely energised by Balance as it allows me to work on supporting talent development programs, host flagship events and encourage policy changes.

What has been the most challenging part of your career to date and how did you overcome it?

The most challenging part of my career has been grappling with anxiety around ‘am I doing enough?’ especially as soon as I rolled off the graduate programme. I am really lucky to have a manager who provided me with stretch opportunities as well as direct and immediate feedback. From talking to friends and peers I realised that anxiety was quite common, which is why having the right conversations in 121 is so valuable.

If you had a magic wand and could make one wish to change one thing in financial services, what would it be?

My wish would be for everyone to be offered completely remote working from wherever they wish in the world. I’ve seen first-hand the benefits this has provided for so many men and women and how it can contribute to richer life experiences for the workforce whilst delivering excellent business results as we saw in the pandemic.

What would you tell your 15 year old self, knowing what you know now?

I would tell her that she’s not going to be a lawyer! But to continue to work hard and throw herself into initiatives such as UK Youth Parliament as these will open up incredible opportunities. I would also try and get her to take up golf again and continue with sports as she really enjoyed them let high school get in the way.

What do you do to relax?

I really enjoy live sports (basketball, rugby and football), cooking and experimenting with new recipes, especially salads/vegetarian dishes which make me use new vegetables or work with vegetables differently. I also enjoy taking time off and travelling with my husband! He plans all the hikes and adventures whilst I look up the restaurants and beaches so we make a great team.

If you are interested in joining the Future Leaders Network, please send an email to: futureleadersnetwork@wibf.org.uk.