International Women’s Day is more than just a celebration—it’s a call to action. And few people embody that spirit better than Yasmina Siadatan, Chief Revenue Officer at Dynamic Planner and former winner of The Apprentice. In a recent podcast with IFA Magazine, she spoke candidly about the ongoing challenges and opportunities for women in financial services.
“Not a lot has changed”
Despite decades of progress, Yasmina highlighted a sobering reality: women still face significant hurdles in the industry. “We don’t seem to have made the progress that the former me, from nearly 15 to 20 years ago, hoped for,” she admitted. A stark statistic proves her point—women make up just 16% of financial advisers in the UK, the same figure as eight years ago.
This stagnation, she argued, reveals a deeper structural issue. “We’ve seen great strides in gender equality in other industries, but financial services remain a tough nut to crack,” she said. The barriers are numerous: ingrained biases, a lack of female mentors, and the challenge of balancing a demanding career with family life.
But at Dynamic Planner, Yasmina is leading by example. “We buck the trends,” she said, noting that 46% of their workforce is female, compared to just 24% across fintech. Yet even she struggles to hire senior women, revealing that her latest leadership hires were both men, as the company hires based on who is the right person rather than a quota, and the right female candidates didn’t apply.
The power of leadership and mentorship
One of the biggest drivers of change is visibility. “If people can’t see it, how can they aspire to be it?” Yasmina asked. She credits having strong female mentors in her life, particularly those who supported her through the challenges of balancing a high-pressure job with motherhood. “A lot of my mentorship has been around how to juggle it all, rather than just career advice,” she explained.
She also takes an active role in mentoring young women in finance. “I only ever mentor women,” she said. “I feel like there’s more of a responsibility for me to give back to women.”
However, the issue goes beyond mentorship. Yasmina emphasised the importance of companies creating real opportunities for women to climb the corporate ladder. “It’s not enough to just say we support women—we need to actively create pathways for them to advance.”
Why diversity makes business sense
For Yasmina, diversity isn’t just about fairness—it’s smart business. “The people saving and investing for their future are men and women,” she pointed out. “Why wouldn’t we develop products and services that work for everyone?”
She emphasised that diverse teams lead to better decision-making and stronger business outcomes. “Having more women in leadership isn’t just good PR—it directly impacts the bottom line. When you have different perspectives in the room, you make better business decisions.”
Research backs this up. A 2020 McKinsey study[i] found that companies with higher gender diversity at the executive level were 25% more likely to outperform financially. Yasmina sees this firsthand. “When we have diverse voices in meetings, the discussions are richer, the strategies more nuanced, and ultimately, the outcomes are stronger.”
The motherhood challenge
One of the biggest challenges facing women in finance is balancing career ambitions with motherhood. “The numbers don’t lie,” Yasmina said. “Until about 30, men and women are progressing at the same rate. Then, when women start having children, that’s when we see the gender disparity kick in.”
Yasmina believes the solution isn’t about forcing women to choose between career and family, but rather about companies offering genuine support. “Flexible working, parental leave equality, and real career progression opportunities—these things matter,” she said. “And not just on paper, but in a way that truly allows women to thrive.”
Action beyond International Women’s Day
While International Women’s Day shines a spotlight on gender diversity, Yasmina is clear that real change happens year-round. “If we keep going as we are, nothing is going to change. We all have to make a conscious effort every single day,” she said.
She called for more active recruitment of women into financial services and better support for those juggling work and family life. “We don’t want it to get to the point where we need some sort of revolution. We just need to make everyday decisions with gender equality in mind.”
One strategy she suggests is making the hiring process more inclusive. “A lot of women won’t apply for a job unless they feel they meet 100% of the criteria, whereas men will apply if they meet just 60%,” she explained. “We need to make job descriptions more inviting and encourage women to step forward.”
Another key area of focus is pay transparency. “The gender pay gap isn’t just a cliché—it’s real, and it’s holding women back,” Yasmina said. She urges companies to conduct regular pay audits and commit to pay equity. “If you’re serious about gender equality, you have to put your money where your mouth is.”
The road ahead
As for the future? Yasmina remains cautiously optimistic. “Let’s see where we are this time next year. If everyone listening makes a tiny bit of difference in their decision-making, we can start shifting that 16% upwards.”
Ultimately, her message is one of empowerment and persistence. “Change doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen. We just need to keep pushing.”
[i] https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters
About Yasmina Siadatan
Yasmina Siadatan is Chief Revenue Officer at Dynamic Planner and part of the Senior Leadership Team and the Board. She is an integral contributor to decision making in the business, working in tandem with the executive team at Dynamic Planner to lead and deliver on its growth strategy and further build the Dynamic Planner go to market function.
Yasmina worked for Lord Sugar in 2009 having won the fifth series of BBC One’s The Apprentice, heading up his flagship tech and digital media organisation. Following that she was headhunted by James Caan of Dragons’ Den fame to help run his private equity organisation. She graduated in economic history from the London School of Economics.
