International Women’s Day 2022
To celebrate International Women’s Day this year, we reached out to a number of women who are in Financial Services to hear about their experience of working in the Financial Service industry and what they expect to see in the future.
As an industry that was highly dominated by males in the past, it’s great to see women achieving incredible things and that it’s becoming an industry that more females are looking to pursue a career in.
Lauren Tudor (Financial Planner) – Atherton & Associates Wealth Management
“Working as a Financial Adviser is something that I have always wanted to do throughout my working life, but not felt the time was right. I took the first steps back in 2008 when the credit crisis was in full swing and quickly put the books back on the shelf. I continued in my account management role until 2018 when I made the move into financial services and have never looked back.
I am a people person and love helping clients – it’s in my nature. Having the client’s best interests at heart every step of the way ensures that the best client outcomes are achieved. I specialise in advising women and retirement planning
The team at Atherton & Associates are fantastic and great to be a part of. They have such a wealth of experience and the support is incredible. Being a Nantwich based firm who believe in supporting the local community means that we can connect with local people and business owners and help with Financial planning in all areas.
I am accredited to deliver Financial Wellbeing workshops, which help business owners support their staff with Financial information and guidance. This really helps employees to understand more about topics such as budgeting, saving, investment and retirement planning. It can also help with increased productivity at work and can reduce absenteeism which can be caused by financial stress.
I am currently studying towards becoming a chartered adviser which will mean I can assist clients with more complex financial planning needs.
We have lots of exciting events in the pipeline for this year and as such the future at Atherton & Associates is looking rather exciting! The fabulous back-office team, paired with the drive and ambition of the advising team will ensure these are the best years yet – and we can’t wait to welcome our new clients on board.”
Atherton & Associates Wealth Management Ltd is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website http://www.sjp.co.uk/products.
Sam Roberts (Compliance Manager) – Amplo Mortgages & Financial Solutions
“Having spent over 10 years working within the financial services industry, I can certainly say that it brings with it a definite sense of job satisfaction. Particularly when supporting clients directly with their personal or business mortgages. Reviewing an individual’s financial circumstances to significantly improve them will never get boring.
At Amplo, there is a fairly equal division of men to women across our office, we also have a diverse age range which leads to many varied conversations and life experiences which can be shared between all. Working for yourself offers a great deal of flexibility, which for me as a mum of 2 and a step mum to 3 is incredibly important. I have, in the past unfortunately experienced working for other companies who were not as accommodating. These unpleasant experiences do allow me to fully appreciate the privileged position in which I now find myself.
I am also incredibly lucky that the role I have within the company allows for this flexibility, as I can work outside of the ‘normal’ 9-5 work routine. This does lead to some late night & weekend working, however, it means I am available for my children to drop them off at school and attend the important events. Being available for my children allows me to be more focused when I am working, it also prevents the dreaded ‘guilt’ which I think every parent can relate to.
Making the decision to work for Amplo was not one I made lightly, joining a business that is partly run and owned by my partner was not something to be rushed into and there were many a conversation had before I finally agreed to join. As it turns out we make a fantastic team both at home and at work. I can safely say it is the best decision I could have made both professionally and personally.
What I would like to see in the future, regardless of the situation in our own office, it remains that there is still a gender gap when it comes to promotions and/or levels of pay within the financial services industry. Preferably sooner rather than later I would like to see employers going further and making strides to promote confidence in women, encouraging them to reach for those higher roles, which they may have ordinarily shied away from.”
This is a snippet of what Sam had to say about working in Financial Services, you can read the full Q&A over on the Amplo Mortgages.
Penny Williams (Owner) – Money Coach
“I love being part of a growing number of women in financial services in what has historically been a male dominated industry. I don’t feel that I have ever been at a disadvantage, I feel lucky that I have always felt supported and encouraged by my colleague’s, both male and female.
Of course, it would be great to see more women in senior positions, but I feel sure that things are moving in the right direction here. Diversity in any industry is key to showing younger generations that they can be whatever they want to be and having role models who look like them is essential.
As a business owner, I love to collaborate with different people so that everyone’s strengths and skills are being utilised. I no longer provide financial advice myself but help to improve my client’s relationship with money which is fundamental to managing their money well. I will then signpost my clients to other experts in the industry for specialist advice on tax, mortgages, pensions, investing etc.
There are endless opportunities for women in financial services, more and more women are seeking advice and taking control of their finances. If encouraging more women into the industry makes advice and support with money more accessible to all, then this can only be a good thing.”
Sheena Penkeyman (Marketing Manager) – Amplo Commercial Finance
“In the years that I’ve worked in the industry, I’ve seen more and more women come into management and senior management roles in recent years which has been great. I’m incredibly fortunate to work for a company that have an almost equal split of genders as a whole as well in management roles. It’s important to be seen and heard regardless of your gender or job position and at Amplo, it’s something that they definitely do.
I’ve started working in Financial Services since I left college and it wasn’t an industry that wasn’t introduced to me whilst I was in High School or College especially not when it comes to Marketing. However, I hope to see that change and it become an industry that more young girls are aware off and an industry that they would like to pursue a career in, whether its as an advisor, accounts or marketing.”
Address
Amplo Group
11 Mallard Court, Mallard Way,
Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 6ZQ
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