In celebration of International Women’s Day, finance veteran, Kelly Prior (pictured), Investment Director at Marlborough, shares four powerful career lessons for women navigating a male-dominated industry such as financial services. From embracing lifelong learning to standing tall in the face of adversity, these insights are a heartfelt reminder of the resilience, determination, and ambition that drive meaningful progress – not just for ourselves but for future generations.
Check out any study, report or survey about women’s representation in financial services and you’ll find much the same conclusion. The general message is that things have got better – certainly over time – but there’s still an awful lot of room for improvement.
This is particularly the case at senior levels. According to last year’s HM Treasury Women in Finance Charter Annual Review, parity in this respect is unlikely to be achieved until 2038 at the earliest[1].
When I reflect on my own career, which now spans more than three decades, it’s clear that our industry has become significantly more diverse. Unfortunately, it’s also hard to deny the transformation has been slow – and still is.
Just recently, of course, the entire notion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has come under unprecedented fire. The new US government is taking dramatic steps to rein in DEI, and many major corporations appear to be following suit.
It’s easy to get a bit cross about this turn of events, which risks making progress even more glacial. But maybe it should serve as a reminder that, as individuals, we all have our own roles to play in furthering the cause of equality and fairness in the workplace.
Here are four lessons I’ve learnt over the years. I like to think each has helped my own progress in a male-dominated arena that even now has plenty of catching up to do.
- Love learning
I didn’t go to university. That’s a rare claim for someone in our profession, but I had my reasons. I genuinely didn’t know what I wanted to do, and I was also terrified of debt (which is an irony, as it’s an area I’ve since specialised in for most of my career).
Attracted in part by the prospect of flexible working hours, I instead took an exam to become a civil servant. This plunged me headlong into the wacky world of Westminster, where I encountered many colleagues who might best be described as idiosyncratic.
It also introduced me to the delights of on-the-job training. There were so many courses available, and I took as many as I could. Away from work, thanks to the wonders of flexitime, I was also able to qualify as a therapist, specialising in complementary healthcare, before the age of 20.
It was during this period that I really developed an insatiable appetite for learning. A desire to keep embracing new skills and novel concepts has driven me ever since.
- Ask questions and work hard
I got my first job in the City in the early 1990s. It was a position with a well-known financial institution’s private client department, where posh ex-army officers and friends of the aristocracy made up a sizeable proportion of the team.
Women were overwhelmingly in the minority – and women from a working-class background were even thinner on the ground. It was fabulous and foreboding in equal measure.
Yet I soon realised the vast majority of the people I met were on my side. They were generous with their time and knowledge. I was eager to learn and badgered them incessantly – thankfully, they happily answered my questions and encouraged my curiosity.
Above all, they appreciated my hard work. I didn’t rely on natural talent, less still on favours. I just grafted. My efforts were rewarded, and I started to move up the ladder.
- Seek out role models and sources of inspiration
I would be lying if I were to say I’ve never experienced sexism and other forms of discrimination during my career, although these were relatively rare occurrences. I prefer to focus on the inspirational figures who fostered my growth – you know who you are, and I thank you.
There were two people of particular note from those early days. Unbeknown to them and without being present, they’ve pushed me to be the best version of myself I could be ever since.
One was an ex-colleague who wrote a letter to me before moving to a different career path (it was the ’90s – email hadn’t caught on in those days). I cherish it to this day, and it sits framed in my office. He suggested: “Instead of waiting to be handed a bunch of flowers, it’s often better to plant your own garden. Decide what you want to do, think about what makes you happy and fulfilled and strive to achieve it.”
Another was a brilliant fund manager who had everything to live for – a job at which he excelled, a loving partner, two very young children… When cancer snatched him away from us, aged just 33, I resolved I would never again waste a single day of my life.
- Don’t settle for second-best
This brings us to the importance of recognising life is there for the taking. It’s tempting to lose sight of this truth when the odds are against you – yet it’s an idea that can be absolutely key to defying the odds.
Ultimately, no-one wants to look back and feel opportunities were allowed to slip away. We all want to be able to say we seized them when they were presented to us, that we challenged ourselves and did unfamiliar and uncomfortable things to test our limits, that we stood up for our beliefs, that we were prepared to fail and learn and have no regrets. That’s how you grow.
How does this feed into women’s working lives? Basically, we need to be proud of what we do and the qualities we can offer. We need to show up as our true selves and challenge the status quo when our value-added contributions go unremarked.
More than ever before, not just in our own industry but every other, women should expect to prosper in a fully functioning meritocracy. We all have to continue striving for this ideal if we want to bring about positive, lasting change – both for ourselves and for those who come after us.
Kelly Prior is Investment Director at Marlborough.
[1] See, for example, New Financial: HM Treasury Women in Finance Charter Annual Review 2023, March 2024 – https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65fb084d9316f5001164c432/HMT_WIFC_Review_2023.pdf.
