In this exclusive International Women’s Day Q&A, IFA Magazine talk to Sandhuni Correa, management accountant at WHEB Asset Management as part of our Women in Finance initiative, shining a spotlight on all the great work done by women across the financial services spectrum.
Sandhuni discusses her experiences working in a male-dominated sector as well as the importance of IWD2024.
Have you seen the environment change for women working in financial services since you first started out in your career? If so, how?
I started my career in financial services in 2011 while studying for my Chartered Accountancy qualification. I worked in a number of previous roles and am extremely proud to have been a part of the team that facilitated what was at the time the biggest insurance backed buyout of a corporate pension scheme.
In 2020 I took a short career break to start a family. When I was ready to return to work I started looking for a roles within financial services. Whilst interviewing for different roles prior to my appointment at WHEB, I came across some firms were not keen to offer flexible working or family friendly hours.
As a first time mum, I found the thought of returning to work daunting, however the team at WHEB really made things easy for me. They offered me a lot of flexibility in my role which has helped me to achieve a good work-life balance. I feel that I am able to put my education and training to good use whilst enjoying being a mum to my little boy which is important to me.
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #Inspireinclusion. What does this mean to you and why do you think it’s important to boost gender diversity?
Everyone is unique and each individual should be afforded the same opportunities in life and at work if they are capable. If an organization or individual has respect for and an appreciation of differences between people it will help bring out the best in people.
The financial services industry serves a huge range of organizations and clients across the population. Decisions taken by the financial industry can greatly impact the nation’s economy and individual’s finances. It is important for financial services to reflect and celebrate our diverse society.
Boosting gender diversity within an organisation is one way of maximising value from human capital. There is research to show that there is a link between more gender-diverse company boards and better financial performance. This will lead to innovation and creativity and boost a company’s brand. Having a gender balanced team can lead to a diversity of thought and a greater understanding of clients and client satisfaction.
What are the key changes which you think the industry and businesses could make to encourage more women into financial services?
Most women are likely to start a family part way through their working life. It is important that employers give them the flexibility that they need in order to fulfil their roles as employees and mothers effectively. This can be by way of offering part time work, flexible hours and equal pay for the same work. This will encourage individuals to perform to the best of their ability.
What things are within the control of women to do to make positive gender diversity changes in the financial services industry?
Women in senior leadership roles have the biggest and best opportunity to facilitate positive change within organizations. They can provide support and mentorship to female colleagues
in more junior positions to give them the support and confidence to make progress in their careers.
These leaders can also facilitate and support networking events for women to encourage them to consider a career in financial services and make progress to more senior positions if they are already in the sector. Women can be reassured that as an industry, financial services, values their involvement and contribution. They can also be made aware of opportunities for career progression around family and childcare commitments which are likely to be relevant to a large proportion of the female workforce.
What does gender diversity look like to you in a perfect world?
In a perfectly diverse world, in any organization there would be a gender distribution consistent with the gender distribution in wider society. The underlying principal would be to have the best people appointed to roles, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age or sexual orientation.
