Stories that shape us – Daria Preston

Daria was most recently a Change and Communications Practitioner at the Bank of England, leading people-focused cultural change initiatives that support talent, inclusion and workplace belonging. With experience spanning Barclays Wealth, the FCA and the Bank of England, she has worked across insurance, banking and regulatory transformation programmes for more than a decade.

A passionate advocate for social mobility, inclusion and wellbeing, Daria co-founded the Bank’s Pathways to Parenthood network and helped launch a pioneering miscarriage leave policy. As WIBF’s Co-Lead for Social Mobility, she is committed to breaking down barriers, widening access to opportunity and inspiring more girls and women to see a future for themselves in financial services.

We launch our new series ‘Stories that shape us’ on a week where we celebrate Social Mobility day. Daria’s role as Co-Social Mobility lead for WIBF and her inspiring story are the perfect way to start!

Daria, tell us about a ‘plot twist’ that happened within your journey with social mobility.

For me, I can think of a very clear moment in which a conversation on LinkedIn changed my trajectory for good.

Fourteen years ago, I was a newly single mum working as a temp and trying to find a way into a career that felt completely out of reach. I had a ambition, resilience and I often watched team members and quietly copied and mirrored them. I developed new skills in project work and occasionally was curious to ask about how they got to where they were. But I did not have any ‘know how’s’ about the sector, or a mentor to guide me. Like many young people trying to break into financial services, I sent off email applications, spoke to recruiters and faced rejection after rejection.

It was impossible, you needed financial services experience to gain access, but you needed access to gain experience.

Sat as a young person in my parents’ house, with a young baby, if employers could see my background, I wasn’t sure I would be a candidate.  My parents and I immigrated when I was young due to post soviet goings on in our home country. Intergenerational trauma made home life not a safe place to grow up, I just wanted to escape. I thought that working for a bank would give me the financial freedom and a sense of worthiness, looking back this was purely based on a stereotype I must have heard somewhere. Finding a reputable job would be an achievement, let alone in the financial services which felt harsh, distant, and unfamiliar.

Describe a small action you took that ended up making a bigger difference than you expected. What did you do? 

When traditional recruitment routes proved to be a dead end, I decided to try something different. I went on LinkedIn and sent a short message to the most senior people I could connect within financial companies.

I found Richard Bell who was at that time, a COO at Barclays Wealth. I had only a very limited character count to explain who I was, what I could offer and why someone (he) should take a chance on me. I told him I had transferable skills, that I was determined, and that I wanted to work in financial services.

He replied the same day and that message possibly changed the direction of my life.

He agreed that PMO skills are largely transferable and that he would be happy to consider all backgrounds. He asked me to email him my CV directly.

I was interviewed and joined Barclays Wealth as a contractor. Richard did not just respond to my message; he saw potential where others had seen risk.  He opened a door that had been closed to me, he gave me access to an industry I wasn’t welcome in.

When I later messaged Richard to thank him some fifteen years later, he told me that creating opportunities for young people had been one of the highlights of his career. He also reminded me that I had seized the moment by being proactive and ambitious. That matters, because social mobility is never just about one person helping another. It is about what happens when ambition meets access.

What happened next?

That opportunity became the start of a career in financial services and as they say – ‘you are only as good as your last contract’. I went on to build a career focused on the human side of change and transformation. Today, I lead change and communications in financial, I work as a co-lead social mobility work for Women in Banking and Finance as a way of paying it forward. In every role, I try to create the same kind of openings for others that Richard once created for me – championing the girls that have the potential but lack opportunity.

What do you want people to take away from your story?

Most importantly, pay it forward. Somewhere, there is another young person with talent, drive and potential who just needs one person to reply.

At WIBF we are working with five social mobility organisations that provide access and opportunities for young people. It all starts with a conversation. If you would like to find out more, please reach out!  Email: daria.preston@wibf.org.uk