"It was one of those surreal moments that I will remember forever. Seeing my name up in lights in front of hundreds of people from our industry was a huge achievement for me."
To celebrate the voting period of our 2020 Women's Recognition Awards, our first interviews are with previous winners of the FRWRAs, and this week we spoke to Kate Hedges.
FR: What’s your current role and how long have you been in it?
My current job title is senior relationship executive. I started the role of relationship executive in March 2019 and have recently been promoted to senior. Prior to that, I worked as a telephone account manager for our West region after joining SortRefer in January 2017.
FR: How did you first get into the financial services industry and why?
I was first introduced into the financial services industry when I was 18 years old. I was working in a job I really disliked, and my sister worked at a mortgage brokerage. An opportunity came up as a receptionist at that firm and I took it. Whilst I didn’t enjoy being a receptionist, I found the financial services industry fascinating and enjoyed working on the admin, chasing up lenders and solicitors to get resolutions for customers. After working here for a while, I took a break from the financial services industry. In 2016, a vacancy came up at SortRefer and after reading the job description, I thought it’d be a perfect fit after working on the mortgage broker part of the industry previously. The knowledge and job history helped me to find my feet in my role at SortRefer.
FR: What achievement are you proudest of in your career to date?
It’s hard to choose one. The day I was told I had been promoted to senior relationship executive at SortRefer was a proud moment for me, as I’d been doing the job for a while and felt comfortable and that I’d grown in the role and career-wise. Winning the Rising Star award in September 2019 knocked me off my feet as I wasn’t expecting it. It was one of those surreal moments that I will remember forever. Seeing my name up in lights in front of hundreds of people from our industry was a huge achievement for me.
FR: Who’s had the biggest impact on your career to date?
I’m very lucky to have been surrounded by strong female management. Both my manager, Tina, and our sales and relationship director, Jess, have provided me with support, guidance and knowledge in my role.
Tina, who is our customer services manager, has pushed me to deliver my role to the best of my ability whilst valuing me as a member of the team and has supported me with various training courses that I’ve wanted to pursue. We all look up to her - she is a positive, inspirational manager, who we’re all very appreciative of!
Jess has worked in both the mortgage broker and solicitor worlds and has passed on lots of invaluable industry knowledge that she has picked up throughout her career so far.
Both Tina and Jess have given me the knowledge and support to help empower me, leading me into the position I am currently in now.
FR: What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever been given?
My Uncle Robert once told me that “Failure doesn’t mean you are a failure; it just means you haven’t succeeded yet.” And it’s always stayed with me.
FR: If you had to sum up working in financial services in three words, what would they be?
Challenging, rewarding, and fast-paced!
To nominate yourself or a woman in financial services for a Women’s Recognition Award, please visit www.frwra.co.uk.
