"While I firmly believe that diversity helps an organisation navigate challenges more successfully as you have a variety of different approaches being discussed, it also comes down to simple economics."
With this in mind, we asked some of our colleagues at more2life and our partners about why these awards are important and what it means to be a women working in financial services today.
First up is Lee Blackwell, director of PR and PA at Key Group.
FR: Why are the Financial Reporter Women’s Awards important?
Recognising female talent in what continues to be a male dominated industry – especially at the senior level - is hugely important if we want to create a sector that meets the needs of all our customers and potential employees. Having role models to emulate and seeing people who you can identify with being celebrated for their contributions is inspiring and sends a clear signal that who you are as a women contributes to your success rather than hinders it.
FR: What is the most frustrating stereotype that you have encountered in Financial Services?
As a women who has worked in financial services public relations for over twenty years, I can honestly say that there have been moments I have wanted to scream. My personal favourite was attending a meeting with a more junior colleague when the people around the table assumed I was his PA as I poured us both a coffee. I’m not sure whether they were more embarrassed or thirsty when I talked them through our strategy and he took notes. Now this was over five years ago but the stereotype of women all too often being seen as more junior needs to be addressed.
FR: What positives do you believe that greater diversity would bring to the industry?
While I firmly believe that diversity helps an organisation navigate challenges more successfully as you have a variety of different approaches being discussed, it also comes down to simple economics. A third of equity release customers are single women but only 14% are single men according to Key’s Market Monitor. At the other end of the spectrum, Barclays suggests that women are more likely to take their first step onto the property ladder a year earlier than men. In order to cater to all our customer demographics, we need to be more diverse.
FR: What do you think financial services companies could do to better engage with women as customers and employees?
Ask questions and actually listen to the answers! Both women and men have a wide range of different needs, expectations and aspirations. A company that works to understand what motivates customers as well as employees is far more likely to be successful than one that launches a car which “allows proud owners to coordinate their nails with the colour of their car” (Renault, I’m looking at you).
FR: What headline on diversity would you most like to see in Financial Reporter?
'Gender reporting scrapped as figures too close to differentiate'.
