WIBF networking breakfast at the Banking Transformation summit

On 19 & 20 June the ExCel in London buzzed with energy of the 2024 Banking Transformation Summit organised by MoneyNext. The summit brought together over 250 industry-leading speakers to discuss the internal and external factors disrupting the banking sector. The event was a resounding success, marked by enthusiastic feedback and engagement from the audience and WIBF are proud to be a supporting partner once again.

On the morning of 20 June WIBF hosted a networking breakfast to kick off the second day of the conference. In attendance for WIBF was the WIBF Mentoring team, Gwen Faure, Urszula Wysocka and Ras Gohil, along with Nicky King, head of corporate partnerships.

The session began with a discussion on the biggest challenges faced by women in finance across different generations. Speakers highlighted the evolving landscape of the financial sector and how these changes uniquely impact women at various career stages. The mix of people in the room, from students to senior leaders, men and women really added to the vibrancy of the event.

Success in the financial sector often requires overcoming significant hurdles. It was great to provide a platform to explore practical solutions and strategies for women to advance their careers. Discussions ranged from addressing gender biases to developing essential skills and building a robust professional network.

A standout theme was the critical role of mentoring in career development. The session delved into how tailored mentoring programmes can provide the guidance and support necessary for women to overcome career challenges, achieve promotions, and seize new opportunities. WIBF have developed several different programmes to support the mentoring community in various ways and was endorsed by some of the mentors and mentees in the audience.

These real-life stories from WIBF mentors and mentees showcased the transformative impact of these relationships, inspiring several participants to sign up to become mentors.

This influx of mentors promises to bolster the community and provide more women with the support they need to thrive in their careers. The enthusiasm for mentoring reflects a collective commitment to nurturing the next generation of female leaders in banking and finance. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, you can find out more here.

We must send out a huge thanks must go to our mentors and mentees- Poppy Small, Karen Bennett, Grace Wong, Rachael Speirs, Meena Assi, Fanny Kokocinska, Kelly Shek and Simrit Sandhu for joining us to talk to attendees about their mentoring experiences.

The breakfast also highlighted the importance of corporate partnerships for WIBF and how individual members can benefit from the organisation’s events and activities. This broadened attendees’ understanding of the resources and community available through WIBF to address gender issues.

Thank you to everyone who attended, we look forward to seeing you as a member or mentor very soon!

To join us as a member, click here and to sign up as a mentor, click here.