Our Voice Issue 1

FEATURING

NAZMA RAHMAN

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

THE MAYOR OF CAMDEN

WELCOME TO

CEO and Founder

Welcome to the launch issue of Our Voice Magazine!

As we embark on this exciting journey, we are thrilled to introduce a platform dedicated to celebrating and empowering women in every facet of leadership. We believe it’s important to amplify these voices, share their stories, and inspire the next generation of leaders. Within these pages, you’ll find insightful articles, thought-provoking interviews, and powerful narratives that highlight the diverse experiences and achievements of women in leadership roles across industries, sectors, and continents. From trailblazers breaking barriers to rising stars igniting change, each feature showcases the remarkable impact of female leadership on organizations, communities, and beyond.

At the heart of our mission we continue to foster inclusivity, diversity, and equality in leadership. We believe that by championing the successes and struggles of women in leadership, we can spark meaningful conversations, challenge existing norms, and pave the way for a more equitable future.

I’d like to thank all of our contributors, collaborators, and readers who have joined us on this journey. Your support fuels our passion and reinforces our belief in increasing the number of women in leadership.

Thank you for being a part of our community. Together, let’s continue to shake things up!

Where empowerment meets leadership, and the spirit of innovation is driven by the strength of women in business. Together, let’s continue to amplify the voices of women in business, break down barriers, and build a future where every woman has the opportunity to lead, thrive, and make their mark on the world.

CONTENTS

06

06. INSIGHT SHORTS

Bitesize news of women making waves.

12

12. PODCAST INTERVIEW

RUJI AKHTAR MAHMUD & NAZMA RAHMAN

On personal journeys in procurement and politics.

20. PERSPECTIVE

YASHMIN HARUN

Creating a diverse and welcoming community for women and Muslim athletes.

28

28. PERSPECTIVE TIA CHEANG

Introducing young women to opportunities in the tech Industry.

34

34. INTERVIEW

WENDY REDSHAW & KARI-ANNE CLAYTONNATWEST

The need for resilience, adaptability, and championing diversity in the ever-changing digital landscape.

56

56. PERSPECTIVE SALONI KATARIA

On turning differences into superpowers.

58. INTERVIEW

CARINE BOTTURI - TELUS

On the constant evolution of the telecommunications industry, and its powerful purpose of connecting people.

66

66. LIFESTYLE

Trailblazing tech, media, books, and more.

70

70. INTERVIEW ESTHER MUNYI

What the power of people and data can do to transform the banking business

82

82. HIGHLIGHT HIGHLIGHTING… BEATRICE SHILLING

How the pioneering aeronautical engineer’s invention helped win the war.

84. LISTS

WOMEN-LED START-UPS

Female-led start-ups that you should pay attention to in 2024.

88. EVENTS

The best upcoming events in 2024.

89. AWARDS

Stroud & Clarke’s upcoming leadership awards.

SHORTS BITESIZE NEWS OF WOMEN MAKING WAVES.

THE 96TH ACADEMY AWARDS

The 96th Academy Awards take place on March 10th, and for the first time in the award show’s history, three movies directed by women are nominated in the Best Picture Category. Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall , Greta Gerwig’s smashhit blockbuster Barbie and, Celine Song’s debut feature Past Lives are all up for the top prize. Whilst Triet is the only woman receiving a nomination in the Best Director category, this is still hopefully a step in the right direction for the Academy.

OSCARS.ORG

Photo: Girl with red hat

FEMALE ARTISTS

It is safe to say that female artists dominated this year’s Grammy awards, sweeping what are considered the ‘major’ categories, and making history. Taylor Swift became the first artist in history to take home Album of the Year for the fourth time, whilst Miley Cyrus was awarded for her single ‘Flowers’. Billie Eilish took home multiple awards

for ‘What Was I Made For?’ whilst Laufey, Victoria Monet, and Coco Jones all took home their first awards. Singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers took home the most awards of the evening, with three alongside her boygenius band members Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, and one with collaborator SZA.

GRAMMY.COM

Photo: Nathan DeFiesta

GENDER EQUALITY & PAY

Recently, recruitment company Nigel Frank International surveyed men from cloud computing companies such as Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services. Of the 1300 men surveyed, just 6% believed that there is still an issue with gender equality in their organisations, and 14% were indifferent on the matter.

With an influx of women entering the tech space, it is easy to believe that equality in wages, opportunity, and treatment has drastically improved. However, it can be easy for people to look past, or simply miss, injustices that don’t directly affect them.

NIGELFRANK.COM

FAIR PLAY ACT 2009

2024 marks 15 years since the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Play Act. Whilst wage discrepancies across multiple industries are still a huge problem, the Fair Play Act of 2009 aimed to restore protection against pay discrimination that the Supreme Court had previously stripped away.

The Act recognised that wage discrimination was indeed a reality, and made it so that a difference in compensation based on gender, race, religion, age, and disability violates laws enforced by The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Photo:

Photo: Christin Hume

2024 ANNIVERSARIES

23 rd JANUARY

100 years since Margaret Bondfield became the first woman to be appointed a government minister.

28 th MAY

175 years since the death of novelist and poet Anne Brontë.

29 th MAY

70 years since, at the Alexander Sports Ground, Diane Leather became the first woman to break the five-minute mile.

4 th JULY

90 years since of pioneering physicist Marie

13 th JULY

70 years since of Mexican portrait Frida Kahlo.

Photo: Nationaal Archief

Photo: Brett Sayle

Curie.

Photo: Nikolay Mitev

since

4 th NOVEMBER

170 years since Florence Nightingale and a team of nurses arrived in the Crimea.

1 st DECEMBER

125 years since the birth of Eileen Agar, painter and photographer of the surrealist movement.

REMARKABLE WOMEN

the death portrait artist

Photo: Chris Haws

Photo: PeterKraayvanger

the death physicist

RUJI AKHTAR MAHMUD & NAZMA RAHMAN

with Charlotte Clarke in conversation

In the first of our In Conversation Podcast series, Our Voice CEO Charlotte Clarke speaks to Ruji Akhtar Mahmud and Nazma Rahman, two women and childhood friends who have both found success in the business, political, and procurement spheres and are making waves on their journeys to prove to themselves and to others that you really can have it all - a successful career whilst maintaining your identity as a woman and a mother.

THE TRAILBLAZER’S JOURNEY

In a riveting and enlightening conversation, Charlotte Clarke, CEO of Our Voice, engages in an in-depth dialogue with Ruji Akhtar Mahmud and Nazma Rahman— childhood friends who have not only carved successful paths in business, politics, and procurement but whose journeys stand as personal triumphs.

Nazma Rahman, Mayor of Camden and Labour councillor for West Hampstead Wars, and Ruji Akhtar Mahmud, Mayoress of Camden and Head of Procurement at GE Healthcare, are emblematic of a broader narrative where women shatter barriers. Their trailblazing journeys illustrate that

a thriving career, alongside being a mother and a woman, is not only achievable but imperative for societal progress.

RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY

Ruji Akhtar Mahmud’s journey unfolds as a story of self-discovery and resilience. Married at 19 in an arranged marriage, she found contentment in her roles as a wife and mother. However, a pivotal moment arose when Ruji observed her children engaging in role-playing activities, revealing a stark contrast in their aspirations. While her son envisioned a future with limitless potential, her daughter’s role-play reflected limited expectations.

Realising the need to be a better role model for her daughter, Ruji embarked on a journey of self-improvement. With limited qualifications and experience, securing employment proved challenging. Ruji recounts, “I was turned away by a lot of agencies due to being a young mother.” Undeterred, she enrolled in evening college, pursuing a course in bookkeeping, which opened doors to part-time roles in finance. Her journey took a challenging turn when applying for a treasury assistant position, she faced discrimination based on her profile not aligning with the perceived norm of white male applicants.

In the face of adversity, Ruji chose to stand up for herself and leave the company. “My boss said to me that I was making a big mistake and I’d regret it,” she recalls. However, this setback fueled her determination. Joining Syngenta, Ruji found a supportive environment that recognized her potential, marking a turning point in her journey. She reflects, “That was the beginning of realising that I can become a better role model for my daughter and that I have to become a leader who can help open those doors for others as well.”

You can make someone’s day just with a positive attitude. It doesn’t cost anything.

CHALLENGING TRADITIONS AND EMBRACING CHANGE

Nazma Rahman’s journey mirrors Ruji’s in many ways, rooted in an arranged marriage after completing her GCSEs. While content, Nazma desired education but faced the challenge of voicing her aspirations. She highlights the generational shift, explaining, “Our parents faced a lot of difficulties fitting into society here, and they had certain ways that worked for them.” The expectations of arranged marriages and familial duties were deeply ingrained, shaping the norm for many years.

Nazma emphasises the importance of cultural context, stating, “Arranged marriages, work, and the due diligence gets done, the family is there, you have somebody. I think it comes from a good place.” Despite the traditional context, both Nazma and Ruji felt a dual desire—to honour their cultural roots while forging individual identities and careers.

While Nazma initially harboured aversions to politics, her journey took an unexpected turn, driven by community engagement. Reflecting on her shift, she shares, “I never saw myself in politics. I used to hate politics because I had the wrong perception about it.” Nazma’s foray into politics began with her role as a parent governor at her children’s school, where she became the only person with brown skin and a Muslim Hijab.

Emphasising the power of community engagement, Nazma states, “In the second meeting that I attended, I started speaking and questioning and with all these things, we began to make little improvements.” Her journey showcases the transformative impact of community involvement on personal growth and the ability to challenge preconceived notions.

Women in leadership roles are significant because we need to show our children, the next generation, that women can do it. They can be a mum, they can work, and they can be successful.

TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES

Ruji and Nazma are passionate advocates for women in leadership roles, underscoring the transformative impact on communities, especially in Camden. Ruji notes, “From my experience, when I’ve seen there’s more women in leadership teams, you get more innovation because you get different

You have to not strive for perfection because every day is different.

Some days you balance it perfectly. The to-do list gets done, all the meetings are successful, home is amazing. But some days things just won’t work out.

perspectives and different ideas brought to the table.” The conversation delves into the significance of representation, breaking norms, and inspiring the next generation.

Nazma emphasises the need for balance, asserting that women can successfully juggle motherhood and careers, thereby setting an example for others. She states, “My children are a part of me, they’re my arm and leg. So if I’m dysfunctional and my children are not happy, then obviously I’m not going to be happy at work and I’m not going to do my best.” The conversation pivots towards the importance of creating environments where women feel empowered to request time off for family commitments without fear of judgement.

Charlotte affirms this sentiment, stating, “As you said, it’s important to bring your children into these environments too, for their sake, and also to show some of our other women in business that this is the norm.” The trio reflects on the need for normalised flexibility in the workplace, where family commitments are not seen as impediments but rather integral aspects of employees’ lives.

When I’ve seen there’s more women in leadership teams, you get more innovation because you get different perspectives and different ideas are brought to the table.

NAVIGATING WORK-LIFE BALANCE

The conversation shifts to the intricate balance between personal and professional lives, with Ruji and Nazma sharing valuable insights. Ruji advocates for authenticity, revealing her early approach of keeping her private life hidden to avoid potential biases at work. “What I’ve now found is that the best way is to be yourself, and that’s what I do,” she asserts.

Ruji reflects on the challenges of work-life balance, stating, “There is no clear line of home/work-life balance. They both fall in and out. And I think it’s just about whatever feels right to you at that point in your career and in your life.” Nazma emphasises the importance of prioritisation and balance, drawing from her experience of being a single parent while maintaining a thriving career.

The conversation touches on the struggle to switch off from work commitments.

Nazma shares, “I can’t switch off when I’m at home. I’m still looking at my emails to see if I have something that needs my attention.”

Charlotte relates, citing her partner’s similar

struggle. The trio emphasises the need for self-care, acknowledging that a happy, healthy individual is better equipped to manage both personal and professional responsibilities.

A COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE

In an inspiring turn, Nazma sheds light on the importance of celebrating the achievements of individuals aged 50 and above in the community. She passionately states, “I’d like to talk about the 50 plus please because it’s important.” Nazma applauds the local community centres for supporting mature individuals and breaking language and skill barriers to pursue new ventures.

Highlighting the diverse endeavours of this age group, Nazma shares, “Some are going out and doing courses, and they’re becoming entrepreneurs in their late 50s and 60s. ”She expresses pride in witnessing neighbours and family friends embracing new opportunities, emphasising the impact on their self-belief and the broader community.

THE POWER OF RECOGNITION AND POSITIVITY

As the conversation concludes, the trio emphasises the transformative power of positive attitudes and expressions of gratitude. Nazma reflects, “It makes my day when my residents say, ‘Thank you for doing the work you do.’” The conversation closes on a poignant note, highlighting the importance of recognising the contributions of individuals, especially those often overlooked.

PERSPECTIVE

YASHMIN HARUN, FOUNDER & CHAIR OF MSA AND FRENFORDS & MSA WFC, DISCUSSES HER OWN PERSONAL CONNECTION TO THE SPORTS INDUSTRY, AND THE DRIVE TO CREATE A DIVERSE AND WELCOMING COMMUNITY FOR WOMEN AND MUSLIM ATHLETES AND FANS.

MUSLIM WOMEN AND SPORT

Sports still has a long journey ahead before we can confidently declare it as reflective of the diverse tapestry of our nation. While the football landscape has welcomed a notable influx of Muslim players hailing from African countries, a source of pride for many, we have yet to witness a homegrown Muslim player represent the national team in either the men’s or women’s game.

This absence underscores the pressing need for greater inclusivity and opportunities within sports. As a community, we must actively work towards fostering an environment where sports can be a viable career path for our children. This entails seizing available opportunities and wholeheartedly supporting local initiatives aimed at nurturing athletic talent within our communities. Only through concerted efforts can we pave the way for a more representative

and inclusive sports sector that celebrates the diversity of our nation.

WHY SPORTS?

Growing up with two older brothers, sports naturally became an integral part of my life. My father, an avid sports fan, further fuelled my passion for athletics and football. Some of my earliest memories revolve around him cheering me on during sports day events and eagerly participating in the dad’s race, a moment he relished with joy. I was fortunate to have ample opportunities to explore various sports from a young age. Learning to ride a bike at five and engaging in football matches with my brothers and their friends were just the beginning. Athletics also captured my interest, particularly events like the 100m, relay races, and high jump. When my family relocated to Scotland, sports became a vital tool for integration. As the only South Asian Muslim family in the quaint harbour town of Fraserburgh, sports served as a bridge, breaking down barriers and facilitating connections with others, enabling me to forge friendships. School played a pivotal role in broadening my sporting horizons, offering opportunities to excel in a multitude of sports, including running, netball,

rounders, hockey, and football, where I had the privilege of captaining various teams. Looking back, sports instilled in me invaluable lessons in resilience, a winning mentality, teamwork, leadership, and strategic thinking. However, the harsh reality set in atsixteen when I had to bid farewell to my beloved sports due to not feeling a sense of belonging.

IS SPORTS A WHITE SECTOR?

The question of how white the sports sector truly is prompts a critical examination of the prevailing racial dynamics within the industry. While sports serve as a platform for talent and athleticism from diverse backgrounds, there remains a glaring lack of representation and equitable opportunities for individuals from diverse communities, particularly in leadership positions and decisionmaking roles. The dominance of white athletes, coaches, and executives at the forefront of major sporting organisations raises concerns about systemic biases, discriminatory practices, and institutional barriers that perpetuate a predominantly white narrative within the industry. This lack of diversity not only limits the perspectives and experiences reflected in sports but also reinforces disparities in access, resources, and recognition for athletes from ethnically diverse backgrounds. As conversations around racial equity and social justice continue to gain momentum, it becomes imperative to challenge the status quo and advocate for meaningful changes that foster a more inclusive and representative sports sector, reflective of the diverse communities it serves.

My professional journey began in banking, yet my passion for sports led me back to this realm. Initially, I never envisioned this path, but as they say, the almighty is the best of planners.

Throughout the past decade, one glaring observation persisted: I often found myself as the sole brown hijabi woman in rooms where crucial consultations, decisions, or strategies concerning my community were being formulated. These spaces were predominantly occupied by white middleclass men, with only a smattering of women.

I couldn’t help but question the depth of their lived experiences and insights guiding those decisions. Shouldn’t they seek input from “hard to reach” communities to truly enhance participation?

While the sector has launched various campaigns aimed at boosting women’s involvement, such as Us Girls and This Girl Can, these initiatives often sidelined Muslim women and girls, leaving us

feeling like an afterthought. Thankfully, organisations like MSA have been pivotal in challenging these narratives and stereotypes surrounding Muslim women and sports. Our efforts have not only empowered countless participants, many of whom have

Association, British Fencing, GB Archery, as well as organisations such as Mind, Forestry England and Faith & Belief Forum, MSA has provided invaluable insights into how the sector can better engage communities, especially Muslim women. Some of our participants now sit on boards and committees, ensuring our voices are heard and our perspectives contribute to meaningful discussions.

As the sector evolves, Sport England’s Code of Governance encourages boards to achieve a balanced representation in terms of gender and ethnicity. While a background in sports is beneficial, it’s not a prerequisite to serve on a sports board. Professional experiences bring expertise, but it’s our lived experiences that truly set us apart. The sector urgently needs individuals like us to step forward and apply for positions across the workforce, enhancing diversity and representation within its ranks.

GAP IN THE SPORTS SECTOR FOR MUSLIM WOMEN

Although I had stopped participating in sports as an adult, my passion for it never waned; I remained an avid follower. It wasn’t until I became a mother to two sons that I felt the urge to return to team sports. There was a unique sense of camaraderie and adrenaline rush that I sorely missed. Embarking on this journey into the sports sector, I had little inkling of where it might lead me or the challenges I would face. Perhaps I was naive, failing to recognise the glaring underrepresentation within the sector, not just in participation but across its entire workforce.

become qualified coaches or achieved personal milestones they never thought possible, but also influenced the industry at large. Collaborating closely with national sports governing bodies like The Football

When I embarked on the quest to find a football coach, I was astonished by the scarcity of female coaches. This glaring gap spurred me to investigate why there was such a dearth of female, Muslim representation in the sports sector. Surely there were many Muslim women like myself—former enthusiasts of football, athletics, and boxing—who yearned to play but felt constrained by cultural or religious considerations?

Initiating casual basketball sessions with a qualified female coach, supported by a local charity, marked the genesis of the Muslimah

Sports Association (MSA) in 2014. Initially, MSA faced numerous hurdles: resistance from Muslim women themselves, scepticism from the wider local community, and a sector that lacked understanding of the needs of Muslim women to engage in sports. To overcome these barriers, I realised the need to challenge mindsets surrounding exercise and physical activity among Muslim women.

While the importance of physical health is often emphasised for men and boys, it is often overlooked for women and girls. Exercise is frequently seen as a reactive response to a health diagnosis rather than an integral part of daily life. MSA was conceived as a haven where Muslimahs and women from all backgrounds could engage in sports without compromising their cultural or religious beliefs. I sought to create a space where Muslim women could express their individuality in an allfemale environment, guided by qualified coaches and instructors who understood the unique barriers and challenges faced

by our community. While the Sport England Active Lives Survey consistently highlights the high levels of inactivity among South Asian women, with a significant portion likely stemming from Muslim backgrounds, MSA’s own research in 2022 revealed a strong desire among Muslim women to be more active and engaged in sports. However, the lack of safe environments and facilities remains a formidable barrier that MSA endeavours to overcome.

The Gap in sports for Muslim women persists as a challenge that echoes broader societal barriers to gender equality and religious inclusion. Despite notable advancements in women’s sports participation worldwide, Muslim women often encounter unique hurdles stemming from cultural norms, religious modesty practices, and limited access to supportive sporting environments. These barriers manifest in various forms, including restrictions on attire, lack of representation in coaching and leadership roles, and inadequate facilities catering to their needs. However, strides are being

made to bridge this gap, with initiatives emerging to promote inclusivity, provide specialised sports apparel, and create safe spaces for Muslim women athletes to thrive. By addressing these obstacles and fostering an environment of acceptance and empowerment, the sports community can unlock the immense potential of Muslim women in sports, enriching the diversity and dynamism of the athletic landscape while championing principles of equality and social justice.

THE FUTURE OF SPORTS

The future of sports holds a dynamic landscape shaped by technological innovation, evolving societal values, and shifting demographic trends. Advancements such as virtual reality experiences, wearable technology, and data analytics are revolutionising how sports are played, watched, and managed, offering unprecedented insights and immersive engagement for athletes and fans alike. Moreover, there is a growing emphasis on sustainability and environmental consciousness within the sports industry, with initiatives aimed at reducing carbon footprints, promoting eco-friendly practices, and leveraging sports as a platform for social and environmental change.

Additionally, the future of sports is characterised by greater inclusivity and diversity, with efforts to dismantle barriers based on gender, race, and ability, ensuring equitable access and opportunities for all participants. As globalisation continues to connect cultures and communities worldwide, sports serve as a unifying force, transcending boundaries and fostering cross-cultural understanding and solidarity. In the coming years, the intersection of technology, sustainability, and inclusivity will redefine the sports landscape, inspiring innovation, fostering empowerment, and enriching the experience of diverse women both on and off the field.

Sports still has a long way to go before we can truly say it is representative of the diverse country we live in. Whilst football has seen an influx of Muslim players from African countries, which makes us proud, we are yet to see a homegrown Muslim player represent the national team in either the men or women’s game. We as a community also need to do more to ensure sports is a viable career

for our children by providing opportunities and supporting local initiatives. Furthermore, the future of sports holds promise for enhanced fan engagement and interactive experiences, fuelled by social media, augmented reality, and personalised content delivery. Fans can expect tailormade experiences that cater to their preferences, allowing for deeper immersion and connectivity with their favourite teams and athletes. Additionally, emerging sports and alternative formats are poised to capture audiences’ attention, offering fresh and diverse entertainment options beyond traditional mainstream events. As sports continue to evolve, so too will the narratives which surround them, with a greater emphasis on storytelling, authenticity, and the human element behind the game. Ultimately, the future of sports is a dynamic and ever-evolving journey, characterised by innovation, inclusivity, and the enduring spirit of competition that transcends time and boundaries.

MSA has had over 10,000 participant attendances across the variety of sports it offers, has created over 100 coaches across several sports and provided opportunities across many different sports including golf, archery, and rowing, as well as courses in photography which promoted positive wellbeing and nature walking. I envision numbers increasing as our communities and younger generation are keen to break barriers and ensure their needs are being met. MUSLIMAHSPORTS.ORG.UK

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PERSPECTIVE

TIA CHEANG, CHIEF DATA & ANALYTICS OFFICER AT GALLAGHER TALKS ABOUT ENCOURAGING YOUNG WOMEN TO PURSUE CAREERS IN SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS.

My professional career started in the IT sector about twenty years ago. But the military was my first strong career interest. The welldefined career path, plus my love of engineering and all things technology made the combination ideal to me, but like many young girls, I had no idea where to start. No one in my family had ever attended university or served in the armed forces. My first hurdle was to figure out who to ask.

Fortunately, my school had great connections to outside groups, and I was able to quickly find the Women Into Science and Engineering (WISE) programme. WISE gives young women a headstart when it comes to STEM jobs by providing them with mentors, excursions to engineering faculties at universities, and hands-on experience in the field through internships and company visits. Since their advice and assistance to me was invaluable, I am determined to keep supporting their cause.

At university, I remember how unusual it was to find a female engineer. From an intake of

1,500, there were only two other females in my year. I enjoyed my time there, although I found that as a woman, I was often an afterthought. For example, in an industrial placement, my male counterparts were tasked with rebuilding an aircraft for courseworkmeanwhile, I was given a cloth to polish the interior of the aeroplane.

Thankfully, times are changing and inclusion has improved. However, there are still major obstacles to diversity the fields of technology and engineering.

As an example, in technology jobs, we see a huge gender disparity. Women make up just 26% of the tech workforce, which is a diversity problem and an opportunity for underutilised skills. The situation is dismal; only 3% of girls see a future for themselves in technology. Many are put off by the industry’s male-dominated culture and the absence of strong female role models, and many more claim to be unaware of the variety of career paths available to them. Based on the data collected from the Women in Tech Survey and conclusions reached by PwC, this industry appears to be facing a critical juncture.

Photo: Alena Darmel

Photo: YY Teoh

There has always been a multipronged approach to addressing the gender gap in STEM fields, with initiatives concentrating on mentorship programmes that pair ambitious women with successful STEM leaders,as well as scholarships and education initiatives that encourage girls to pursue technical occupations.

Based on what I see at the grassroots level, there is an increasing number of exceptional programmes like ‘Girls Who Code’ that expose young girls to professions in technology. Another encouraging trend is the dramatic increase in the number of powerful women who are willing to mentor and coach aspiring female leaders.

Over the years, I have benefited from these, therefore it is only fair I return the favour. Inclusion fosters creativity, reflects our communities, and benefits all of us, which is why I mentor people and fight for diversity in Parliament. On the other hand, I’m not sure what else we need to do to bring about real change.

The current programmes excel at attracting girls who have shown an interest in STEM fields and encouraging them to study at university.

I see the biggest gaps when it comes to targeting girls’ interests at an early age; creating an interest where none previously existed. Recent studies suggest that doing so before the age of eight can have a significantly greater impact on career choices.

Building on the premise that a child’s STEM path might be defined at the age of eight, it’s intriguing to think about how formative events influence their development. A love of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) can likely be fostered through play. Building with Lego and other similar toys helps children improve their spatial awareness. The capacity to think creatively and solve problems are fundamental abilities in many professions, including architecture and software development, and understanding how the pieces fit together to form an entity is no exception.

There is evidence to support this, suggesting that girls who engage with science through cooperative play and interactive games are more likely to have a lifelong passion for STEM subjects, which could pave the way for significant advancements in gender equality.

Regrettably, research out of the Geena Davis Institute indicated that while 76% of parents support Lego play for boys, only 24% do the same for girls. Furthermore, parents are three times as likely to urge their daughters to bake and five times more likely to encourage their daughters to dress up than their sons, according to the institute. This suggests that early raising is a major factor in why young girls do not pursue careers in STEM.

In an industrial placement, my male counterparts were tasked with rebuilding an aircraft for courseworkmeanwhile, I was given a cloth to polish the interior of the aeroplane.

physical activity, while 70% of boys were. What’s more, as girls enter their teens, they are twice as likely to stop participating in sports because of negative stereotypes they associate with being sporty, a lack of confidence, and insufficient support from their peers.

The capacity of young girls to acquire the interests and abilities necessary for advancement in technological disciplines in the future is hindered by these obstacles.

When we discuss the fact that many women do not believe in themselves, we automatically arrive at a situation shared by a significant number of them. According to research conducted by KPMG, almost three

Use of Legos as a building material is simply one method of developing spatial awareness. According to the findings, sports and activities that involve participation in groups are also of great significance. This is because physical exercise is the primary mechanism by which the brain develops. Not only does participation in sports have a beneficial impact on a child’s physical health, but it also has a positive impact on their mental health, their ability to formulate strategies, their communication skills, and their ability to work together as a team, all of which are crucial in the STEM areas.

In a similar vein, research by Women in Sport indicated that, when comparing girls and boys aged 5–11, just 49% of girls were physically active or engaged in sports or

Photo: Montera Production

quarters of women who hold senior positions experience imposter syndrome at some point in their professional lives. As women are less likely to ask for a raise or promotion unless they are totally qualified is evidence that this is primarily a problem that affects them. On the other hand, males are more likely to ask for a raise or promotion when they are about 60% qualified.

In my quest to discover what modern parents can do to provide their daughters with the best job possibilities, I kept coming across the same suggestions:

1) Bring in playthings and activities at a young age to encourage exploration and development of problem-solving abilities. Recognising importance of spatial awareness, confidence, resilience, teamwork, and leadership in achieving professional success, it is recommended that individuals participate in athletic activities.

2) Get the ball rolling on building a support system of STEM-related pals who can mentor your daughter and show her the many different paths you can take with your degree.

3) Develop technical abilities and cultivate a passion for science and technology. Enrol your girls in early STEM education programmes and clubs.

Looking back on my childhood, I feel incredibly lucky to have been raised by parents who strongly advocated for equal opportunity for girls and boys. My parents believed that girls shouldn’t play with hair and makeup; we should prioritise self-

esteem-boosting activities over watching television, and should value and express our opinions so that we can become strong, eloquent adults. My early years were full of risk-taking and exciting experiences - my playthings were Lego, and instead of going to a theme park, we had day trips to the science museum.

Based on my background and research findings, I am a prime example of how a nontraditional upbringing can inspire a passion for STEM careers.

Although these ideas are mainstream now, they were definitely unheard of when I was growing up, but I was fortunate to have a mother who was both progressive and aware of the difficulties I would have working in a male-dominated field.

I wouldn’t have had the strengths I have now if they had focused on nurturing a y oung lady instead of a young adult. My current profession is a direct result of the tenacity and resolve my parents honed with me as a child.

Despite being a woman, a member of an ethnic minority, autistic, disabled, and the child of working-class parents, I am a global technology leader.

This tells me that even against all statistical odds, with the right help, any girl can achieve her goals, and that we can encourage more young women to pursue careers in STEM fields if we step up our efforts.

WENDY REDSHAW & KARI-ANNE CLAYTON

GENERATION OF CHANGE

IN OUR SECOND INTERVIEW WITH NATWEST GROUP’S WENDY REDSHAW AND KARI-ANNE CLAYTON, THEY DISCUSS THE NEED FOR RESILIENCE, ADAPTABILITY, AND CHAMPIONING DIVERSITY AMONGST THE EVER-CHANGING DIGITAL LANDSCAPE.

R eal leaders are those who people will confidently follow. And with the passion, intelligence and drive NatWest Group’s Wendy Redshaw and Kari-Anne Clayton have for their craft, it is clear to see why they have been so successful.

Clayton, Head of Strategy, Transformation & Risk, Retail CDIO, and Redshaw, Chief Digital Information Officer, Retail are widely experienced, highly respected, and incredibly passionate about the substantial development in the last 18 months within the NatWest Group. And it is difficult not to feel inspired by them.

Redshaw’s role as CDIO is to evolve digital and technology experiences for NatWest Group’s Retail customers, whether that be through new propositional enhancements aligned to its purpose of supporting customers, colleagues, and communities, or delivering the latest technologies like responsible and ethical AI to help customers manage their financial wellbeing by providing personalised support.

With the advent of new technology like Gen AI, Redshaw’s role as CDIO also involves understanding what is required to prepare NatWest to leverage these technologies safely and ethically for customer benefit.

Redshaw continues to hold several Board positions, including RoosterMoney, a FinTech acquired by NatWest, a NED position for the NatWest Trustee & Depository Services entity, and she is on the Board of Trustees of Tech She Can (a charity committed to changing the ratio of women in technology and providing free learning resources to inspire children about a career in technology). She has also recently been appointed as Chair of the Board of NatWest Services (Switzerland) Ltd.

Since our last interview 18 months ago, what’s changed for the role of the CDIO? “While the triumvirate between business, technology and people leadership is still critical, we see an even greater shift to unlocking the digital value within our customer journeys, combined with a real focus on driving digitalisation, re-use, innovation, and data through experimentation,” Redshaw says.

WENDY REDSHAW & KARI-ANNE CLAYTON

“The culture of safe and secure experimentation is vitally important to transforming the organisation to enable simplification and multi-modal delivery patterns across the digital and technology estate”, she adds.

Redshaw says NatWest has recognised the need for a changed mindset, which prompted the recent re-branding of the collective Technology Service offering to ‘Digital X’. This is essentially “a statement about how we want to work across the bank, how we want to focus our energy, and how we want to partner to enable and support a digital engagement business, powered by personalisation.”

And since our last interview, Clayton’s role has expanded to cover the breadth of Risk, Resiliency and Service Management for the Retail Digital and Technology estate, in addition to Strategy and Transformation. Previously, she touched on several key transformation elements like Customer Delivery, Risk & Resiliency, Performance, People, Culture, Communications, Leadership and NatWest’s Horizon Technology strategies.

“In response to how technology is evolving at a rapid pace, and how regulation and legislation is working to keep pace, the inclusion of the Risk, Resiliency and Service elements was a natural evolution.”

And from a digital technology perspective, Clayton highlights two regulations the team have focused on: “The first is Consumer Duty, where all firms are expected to raise standards of how we ensure customers receive ‘fair value’ and support. Digital technology has a role to play alongside our people and processes in ensuring customers understand banking products and services.

“The second is the EU AI Act; the world’s first comprehensive AI law. Whilst the EU AI Act doesn’t have direct implications for UK businesses, there is a collective move towards international collaboration and a global convergence for harmonising policy, on a topic which is fundamentally shifting how we think about data, content, and intellectual property in a digital age.”

Redshaw concurs, saying the evolution of AI and Generative AI provides a lot of opportunity for industries across the globe to experiment and find productivity and efficiency from this.

She mentions NatWest’s Digital AI assistant, Cora, which has been continually evolving over the past five years. The AI, which is ranked in the global top 10 of Digital AI assistants, supports customers, and is integrated into the organisation’s awardwinning Mobile App, Online eBanking platform, Websites and Telephony systems. Cora is available to ‘talk with customers’ 24/7, holding over 10 million conversations per year.

“However, with today’s Large Language Models, deep learning, and Gen AI models, NatWest has moved beyond binary inputs and outputs, and has started to see where the models can facilitate and generate new content based off patterns and structures provided from training and data,” Redshaw says.

“There is a consensus that Personal Productivity is probably the number one-use case for Generative AI, whether it is individuals in their day-to-day lives, or whether it is organisations supporting their colleagues.

We see an even greater shift to unlocking the digital value within our customer journeys, combined with a real focus on driving digitalisation, re-use, innovation, and data through experimentation.

WENDY REDSHAW

WENDY REDSHAW & KARI-ANNE CLAYTON

SUPERCHARGED EFFORTS

“Our lives are busier, faster, we are always on, always connected, and anything that can help make life easier and simpler is welcomed – as evidenced by the uptake in interest in these new technologies,” she comments “ChatGPT achieved 1.6 billion site visits in June 2023”.

Generative AI is now supercharging NatWest’s efforts to improve customer experience through personalisation. “We are experimenting in several areas, including call summarisation and sentiment analysis, which supports adviser productivity and data gathering, but also identifies client sentiment and enables further development of data-driven client insights to better support client needs,” Redshaw comments.

She also believes the second biggest use case is leveraging AI to keep customers safe. One tool NatWest has implemented is Featurespace AI, which runs adaptive

algorithms to combat payment fraud. “Having the ability of AI, with its speed and detection mechanisms that are in many cases more refined and can keep up with the pace of data flows, augmenting a human we can provide additional protection for customers,” she says.

Coming full circle back to the idea of productivity, Redshaw says NatWest is running several experiments to understand how Gen AI tools can act as ‘co-pilots’ for engineers, helping to write better code faster, and in an efficient and sustainable way.

Regarding the engineering aspect, Clayton says the future of AI in Banking is about enabling the right blend of EQ/AQ in combination with hard coding skills, “so we can be prepared to train models without bias and challenge each other, particularly on any subconscious bias that may not be consciously acknowledged.

WENDY REDSHAW & KARI-ANNE CLAYTON

A new era of generative AI for everyone

Learn how to apply generative AI to maximize efficiency and drive competitive advantage.

HOW GENERATIVE AI WILL TRANSFORM CUSTOMER DIGITAL EXPERIENCES

Retail Banking customer expectations have changed dramatically. Customers have become accustomed to simple, slick, and personalised interactions in their digital lives and their Bank is no exception. NatWest and Accenture have partnered for over a decade to constantly respond to changing customer needs.

Today, 95% of customers onboard to new products online and 65% of customers opt to engage with their bank completely through digital channels. This experience simplification has been paired with a reinvention that supports customers to see and understand their financial lives in completely new ways.

Accenture have accelerated this transformation with NatWest through:

• A simplified, cloud-first, web capability that has enhanced experience and content orchestration across the business. Colleagues, closest to the customer need, now self-serve and optimise journeys hundreds of times per day, fuelled by data.

• Interactive experiences that allow customers to truly engage and understand their financial lives, whether they are in the fragmented process of buying a home or, navigating the opportunity of more sustainable and energy efficient lifestyle choices.

• Leveraging an existing ecosystem of technology to engage 19 million customers with the right content, in right place, at the right moments.

As we look ahead, we see transformational opportunities that compound the banks existing capability development agenda, particularly when it comes to the impact and use of Generative AI.

Like NatWest, we know Generative AI will fast become mission critical for banks to achieve the right balance between the digital and the human side of banking and servicing customers seamlessly from start to finish.

In order to drive engagement and revenues Banks require more contextual interactions, pricing, and personalised insights. Two priority areas for innovation and differentiation include:

• Transforming operations: integrating Generative AI into middle and back-office operations to drive efficiency and effectiveness, focused on customer.

• Adopting Generative AI features into colleague’s ways of working with tools to supercharge productivity & unlock their creativity.

The power of Generative AI will extend the capabilities and investments that banks have made in improving digital experiences for their customers and evolve how they can build a better understanding of their customers’ needs and forge deeper, more personalised, relationships.

Stewart O’Bee

Digital

Nina

“That segways into the second aspect: AI Risk and Ethics. The future will depend on how a banking organisation can enhance the risk framework for AI. This includes considerations around emerging regulation and using Gen AI through a pragmatic risk assessment process; that is to deal with present use cases based on the current risk and control framework, while leaving flexibility for use cases of tomorrow,” she says.

In all these use cases, Redshaw highlights that humans are kept in the loop, or that AI is providing augmentation, versus relying solely on AI. “This is an important distinction as many AI models are only able to yield between 80-90% accuracy.

“So, which use cases is that acceptable for, and how do we fine tune and train these models in the future? Everyone would agree that when providing financial advice, or determining credit worthiness, that this accuracy rate is not nearly high enough yet, so we have a long way to go to mature the

technology,” she adds.

THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Clayton also highlights a larger question that organisations across the globe are facing: how might we transform our banking workforce so that they are comfortable, prepared, and ready to live side-by-side with AI?

“In the world of AI, deepfakes, voice replication and where content can be created to look authentic, like its coming from the bank, our customers will need support to remain vigilant, safe, and secure.

“Our front-line colleagues will also need to be ready to handle these kinds of situations and potential threats, with a different set of tools, skills and detection mechanisms that evolve at AI’s pace,” she says.

Clayton adds that while the standard risk considerations still exist (data privacy, cyber, transparency etcetera), AI introduces

unique risk considerations, such as confidentiality concerns, copyright and replication, and hallucinations.

And with the rapidly evolving technological landscape, the human experience has never been more important. As CDIO, Redshaw perceives this through two very distinct lenses – customer and colleague experience.

She says NatWest is a partner throughout all of life’s important moments – it is a relationship bank in a digital world, building relationships through engagement over time.

“For example, where we can provide human or digital interactions combined with contextual data, we can deliver a tailored personalised experience, regardless of channel (e.g., branch, telephone, mobile). Where customers are empowered with knowledge and data about their own finances, and tangibly see rewards for making positive financial decisions, we are building trust and unlocking value for them.”

Redshaw adds they have an equal duty of care to colleagues, to ensure their experiences are as rich and robust, especially with the rapid advancement of technology, which often means what is implemented today is often obsolete in a shorter amount of time. “So, it is about ensuring we have the right balance of adaptability, agility and resilience developed to flex to the continual pace of change,” she says.

Clayton adds that as technology ages and becomes legacy, how organisations balance legacy remediation and decommissioning with investment in new technologies isn’t straightforward.

However, she comments on one of the best strategies to tackle this: ever-greening, “which is tightly integrated into the DevOps model. Capacity is ‘protected’ sprint-onsprint. This can be tricky to implement, as competing priorities and incremental value may ‘appear’ to decrease in the short term, and an ever-greening strategy is about longterm value over 2-3 years or more,” she says.

When executed properly, Clayton says it becomes an unrealised cost avoidance, versus something that hits a run cost line to retrospectively ‘address’. “To stay ahead, it’s not just about innovation and keeping up with technology trends but is also a collective agreement from cross-disciplinary teams within the organisation to operate in such a way that addresses this collective challenge,” she adds.

Rounding out the conversation on AI, Redshaw assures that they do not see AI as a threat, and know effective management is necessary to mitigate key risks like the loss of human participation in decision making, underlying bias in Large Language Models, an increasingly complex data security environment, and potential loss of human interactions at the right points for clients.

There is a collective move towards international collaboration and a global convergence for harmonising policy, on a topic which is fundamentally shifting how we think about data, content, and intellectual property in a digital age.

KARI-ANNE CLAYTON

EXPERIMENTAL FREEDOM

“There is hype around AI being a negative force, with headlines stating: ‘AI is going to steal jobs’ or ‘AI is going to take over the world’. These sentiments are sensationalist headlines meant to grab people’s attention and elicit an emotional reaction –a very human trait,” she quips.

Another human trait is curiosity, a core value at NatWest. Clayton says most technologists she has worked with share this attribute, which often manifests itself as life-long learning, and is what sets organisations apart to help them stay ahead.

“There is also a culture of experimentation and innovation, which is accessible to everyone, not just to a specific group,”

Clayton adds. “This experimental freedom creates psychological safety within the wider organisation, unlocking colleague creativity and value.

“This yields amazing ideas that our organisation and customers benefit from and helps the collective stay updated on the latest and greatest cutting-edge technologies,” she says.

Another core value at NatWest is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I), which Redshaw and Clayton are fiercely passionate about. According to Redshaw, NatWest’s target is to have full gender balance in its CEO-3 and above global roles by 2030. NatWest’s ESG disclosure states that at 31 December 2022, there were 40% women in the CEO-3 and above global roles, an increase of 2% since 31 December 2021 and is reflective

WENDY REDSHAW & KARI-ANNE CLAYTON

of a 11% increase since the targets were introduced in 2015. Additionally, the group is aiming to have 14% of colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds in CEO-4 and above positions, and 3% Black colleagues in CEO-5 and above positions in the UK by 2025.

“There are many aspects of inclusivity to consider, and we should bring just as much discussion and focus to our LGBTQ+ colleagues, as well as those who may have a different ability, or represent different generations,” she adds.

An aspect Redshaw is particularly proud of is Natwest’s Employee Led Networks (ELNs), which help provide safe spaces for colleagues and promote conversation and learning. She says as a senior leader, one of the most powerful roles she can play is not

only choosing to challenge when something isn’t right, but choosing to champion, and the impact this can have.

Clayton agrees, saying it is also important to be a visible role model as a minority or ally. Her daughter is LGBTQIA+, and she is an ally and advocate for NatWest’s LGBTQIA+ colleagues. “I am incredibly inspired and supportive of our organisation and others who are openly advocating for safe workplaces where we can all bring our whole selves.

“And when you do choose to champion in the light of DE&I, it’s a very different approach and has a completely different outcome,” she declares.

The technologies shaping the future of financial services

Next-gen technology adoption and a reliance on cloud have always been at the forefront of modern financial services, helping the industry overcome global challenges, deliver exceptional customer service and release innovative products

Financial services organizations are early technology adopters They recognize that technology is a strategic imperative in the modern business landscape

To drive innovation and thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape, many forward-thinking financial services leaders are already leveraging new and notable technologies to transform the drivers of profitability, agility and resilience within their organizations They are weighing in on the transformative capabilities of the cloud to orchestrate new products and processes and to respond to disruption at global and business levels

In HCLTech’s recent cloud research, which surveyed 500 business and IT leaders, 91% of senior executives in financial services identified cloud as a critical success factor, and 87% of respondents confirmed that there is a strong appetite to invest more in cloud The growing adoption of the cloud is itself an indicator of the changing financial services ecosystem with the advent of new business models and rising consumer expectations

Since cloud is the enabler of technological innovations in business, a trend of financial

services firms shifting from traditional silos to cloud platforms is pervasive Cloud is the business platform for innovation and enables

(AI), machine learning, ChatGPT models and big data analytics to increase business resilience

services firms are deploying this technology for KYC, customer onboarding, risk management,

customer interactions At the same time, there is a heavy use of intelligent automation to speed up operations across all the functions of financial services

In addition, banks and other financial institutions are exploring the potential of data in a risk-controlled environment

Sustainable finance has also been a prominent area of focus for financial services organizations, where they are utilizing technology to achieve their net zero goals

Overcoming global challenges

By embracing cloud and various technologies, financial services organizations can overcome global challenges and rapidly pivot their business strategies to meet market needs.

The simple truth in business today is that the world is changing The past frameworks of compliance, security, talent and culture need massive overhauling from the lens of the changing face of financial services, especially when there is a wide variety of stakeholders, including fintech, incumbent institutions, government and regulatory bodies, and a diverse customer base

Global financial systems are regularly tested and in recent times, higher inflation and recession are providing a firm challenge The current situation is impacting business

reassess their priorities in view of customer concerns and rising costs

In response to these challenges, financial services leaders are leveraging technologies to adjust their risk management procedures and keep their focus intact on improving

costs

For instance, advancements in AI and data analytics enable financial services firms to be clear-eyed about their liquidity positions, which is critical to resource allocation and managing costs By utilizing technologies such as cloud

other financial institutions are now capable of rapidly pivoting to new strategies and engaging in continuous innovation to drive new business initiatives and outcomes

Transforming operations with an industry cloud

Financial services organizations are prioritizing continuous modernization with a robust cloud strategy to thrive in an experience-centric

that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for cloud maturity levels As a result, financial services firms are turning to industry cloud platforms that are specifically tailored, considering the business needs and compliance requirements of the financial services sector

Industry cloud platforms provide a “plug and play” flexibility that goes beyond the “lift and shift” approach to achieve competitive

industry cloud platforms in financial services enable the development of new experiences and infuse agility and transparency into business operations

The rise of generative AI

The advent of generative AI provides enormous possibilities reimagining productivity, across all industries Beyond image or text generation, generative AI technology gives more power to business teams in financial services to use technology to achieve new business outcomes

A modern AI ecosystem includes a combination of traditional AI and generative AI models, which are used to develop a myriad of AI applications to deliver AI-driven customer experience, AI-driven employee experience and AI-driven business operations

Financial services firms are unifying the big data analytics to automate repetitive tasks, enable quick research, improve creativity and optimize the decision-making process

Firms are also using generative AI to foster a culture of sustainability within the organization

management systems and monitoring, tracking, benchmarking and optimization of the carbon footprints of the workplace

Looking ahead: A sustainable future

As technology trends continue to evolve, financial services organizations will increasingly lean toward adopting them for a more sustainable future

The outlook covers leveraging technology to enable the decarbonization of lending regulations like the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), Corporate

taxonomy alignment to drive growth in sustainable lending

There will be a continued focus on the use of technologies such as cloud, AI, machine learning and big data analytics to catalyze product innovation, transform customer interactions and operations and get deeper insights into routine tasks

Sudip

Executive Vice President & Head – Europe, Financial Services HCLTech

POTENTIAL TO FULFILMENT

Redshaw admits she doesn’t see championing as being fundamentally different to sponsorship, as it’s more about seeing and growing someone’s potential to fulfilment, adding that you should champion active involvement in the DE&I space that is strong, not soft and woolly.

“For example, five years ago when I came in, there were many teams that lacked gender diversity and I didn’t want that to happen in my part of the organisation – but I also didn’t want to be inadvertently biased the other way.

“So, when I created my organisation, I took a purposeful approach. I sat down with my HR business partner, and for each job application, folded over the name, gender, location, and only reviewed the skillset when producing our shortlist for interviews.

Totally randomly, I ended up with a 50/50 split, male and female.

“Being ready to give full transparency on how this process worked, and to showcase how it produced this diverse result, helps to pose a challenge to others as to how they themselves might be actively mindful of diversity in their teams”.

In terms of choosing to challenge and champion, Redshaw says it is only about encouraging people to think about what is fair and right, and to be as open as possible - “we have an official ‘Recruitment checklist’ that helps emphasise this. Boldness in this case is not only about DE&I, as taking a stand helps the business because diversity helps our business to thrive in multiple ways,” she adds.

And to thrive, it helps to have guidance. Redshaw has sponsored and mentored many people over the years, and the one question she is frequently asked is “what is the difference between these roles?”

“Sponsorship versus mentoring versus coaching (usually the third thing that people talk about),” she says. “Despite morphing into each other in any particular session, are actually distinct. Coaching is more structured, and performance or task driven; you tend to target predefined results.

Our lives are busier, faster, we are always on, always connected, and anything that can help make life easier and simpler is welcomed.

WENDY REDSHAW

Mentoring is softer and more relationshipfocused guidance, offering encouragement and support through one’s own mentoring or work experience.

“Sponsorship goes beyond giving advice and guidance ... It includes ‘iron sharpening’. Your task is to help this person be the best they can be, and that can include constructive critical help. It’s a ‘we’ topic and is much more active.”

Redshaw adds that it means becoming someone’s advocate, in public and behind closed doors, with no ambiguity. With her sponsorship experiences, she has seen measurable progress and growth, but she says she couldn’t have done that for everybody.

Clayton was sponsored by Redshaw, who says that there was “no way I did any spoon-feeding. Kari-Anne had to endure iron-sharpening”.

“If you’re going to stand up and say, ‘I will help this person to be the best version of themselves at work, and I will champion their potential and advocate for them,’ you must really believe that, because any fakeness, any disbelief in that, will come through and harm both parties.

SQUIGGLY CAREERS

“Humility and openness are important,” she adds. “If you’ve made a mistake, just learn from it, share it, encourage people to be connected, open, and recognise that all of us have flaws,” she comments.

Clayton says role models and leaders come in all different shapes and sizes at all levels of an organisation. “The most junior individual can be a leader, and when trying to coach next-generational leadership, it’s being able to put that fact in a different light, empower individuals as far as how leadership works and grows in a career, versus it being more of a positional topic,” she says.

“When coaching early careers, often individuals believe career paths have to be linear, but they often aren’t,” she says, with Redshaw chipping in that they are known as ‘squiggly careers’.

In the early stages, Clayton tries to challenge her mentees to define what being a leader means, and “how might you become a leader without necessarily having

traditional positional power, but instead having collaborative expertise, openness and leading people without necessarily being the ‘boss’.”

Redshaw concurs, using the example of ‘skip sessions’ and ‘build your strength circles’, where often the topic arose from participants as to how they might get up the corporate ladder. As a matter of fact, Redshaw says it’s a triangle: “there’s a very small amount of space at the top.

“So, it can be helpful to keep more of an open mind on success in a career, and to judge yourself not only on whether you get to be CEO, or the equivalent of this in a technology function,” she comments.

Redshaw advises that instead of pushing to go up in a career, you should wait and gain skills at your current level: “you never get to go back so this is a great time to develop breadth in your experience and improve your network. You get pulled up because you are well connected, doing your very best, and showcasing what you can do for yourself,

customers, and others - rather than clamouring your way up,” she says. When it comes to future skillsets, Redshaw says that previously, especially in technology, the sought-after skills would be systematised in nature. “Those things are great, but it tends to traditionally be seen more in males. Thus, in the 70s, to perhaps the 2000s, that’s how technology careers looked.

“What would be traditionally female would be a much more connected, empathetic, holistic, and emotionally intelligent skill set, which during that time was valued less highly.

“Whereas if we look at the World Economics Forum Top 10 skillsets for the future, which is regularly revised,” she explains “although they’re still looking for analytical thinking, technological literacy, dependability and attention to detail – alongside these traits there are traditionally softer skills such as creative thinking, self-awareness, empathy, active listening, and social influence. “Suddenly, you see this blended hybrid

skillset being required for the future, which both boys and girls can learn. This is exciting. Our job is to richly encourage those who are working for us so that whatever the future throws at them, they’ll be able to accommodate it.”

Clayton agrees, adding that “when we think about the pace of change and the world landscape – social, financial, geopolitical or health wise – there’s a lot happening, elements that will impact us globally in the coming years.

“So, the ability to be resilient, adapt in your career and personal life, that underpins a lot of these traditionally hard and soft skills. Skills needed to thrive as an individual must be reinforced by some adaptability and resiliency because at any point in time, circumstances can change,” she says.

www.natwest.com

WENDY REDSHAW & KARI-ANNE CLAYTON

REVOLUTIONIZING CUSTOMER INTERACTION THROUGH TRUSTED PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION: INFOSYS, NATWEST AND AMAZON CONNECT.

As a premier transformation partner for our financial services customers, Infosys prides itself on bringing innovative and industry leading technological capability to the table. Perhaps even more important however, is our ability to help our clients better serve their customers, and build long-term, trusted partnership in the process.

This year, we celebrated one such partnership, marking the 20-year anniversary between Infosys and NatWest. For Infosys, this milestone embodies our resilience, shared values, and the growth we’ve fostered together. It propels us towards digital innovation, a testament to our journey that goes far beyond traditional collaboration, driven by our collective aspirations and it is through this incredible relationship that together NatWest and Infosys have partnered to redefine and revolutionise remote customer contact, through the Contact Centre Transformation Programme.  This joint initiative aims to establish a unified, AWS cloud-based solution for telephony operations while enriching and enhancing customer interactions.

Visionary Approach:

At the core of the Contact Centre Transformation Programme is NatWest’s commitment to delivering exceptional human support precisely when it matters.

The programme prioritises seamless routing to multi-skilled colleagues for swift issue resolution at the first point of contact (FPOC) and leverages cloud-based architecture, enabling rapid deployment to meet an ever changing and dynamic landscape for customers. This approach not only empowers colleagues with advanced tools but also fosters trust through quick resolutions and encourages customer advocacy.

Simplifying Complexity:

The programme envisions a future where Amazon Connect facilitates fast integration, operates seamlessly across channels, and simplifies the technology landscape from a multi-vendor/ multi-product construct to a predominantly single vendor using native amazon solutions. This transformative journey includes transcription and analytics capabilities, alongside sentiment analysis, resulting in a higher quality customer and colleague experience, with additional data points to help better serve customers.

Execution Excellence:

In 2023, the programme outlined a well-crafted plan for incremental adoption of the transformed contact centre platform with ~65% of contact centre colleagues online in 2023, culminating in a complete transition by 2024. Most importantly, this transformation has been seamless for customers, ensuring no disruption in the telephone service they experience today.

Infosys’s Pivotal Role:

As a trusted delivery partner, Infosys plays a pivotal role in the Contact Centre Transformation programme, contributing extensively to development, testing, and management across all business units with a key highlight being the integration of Nuance technology with Amazon Connect. Facilitated by Infosys, Nuance further enriches the customer interaction landscape through voice biometrics, enabling customers to authenticate using their voice print, keeping customers safe and secure.

Operational Paradigm Shift:

By the programme’s conclusion, a new operating model will be firmly in place, facilitating multi-skilled agents, a proactive customer contact strategy, and simplified operations. This marks a monumental departure from the complex and reactive approach of the past.

In essence, the Contact Centre Transformation Programme led by NatWest, with the instrumental involvement of Infosys, and building upon the innovative Amazon Connect offering, is poised to redefine the landscape of remote customer contact. This concise and impactful framework introduces an era of efficiency, personalisation, and proactive engagement, reflecting a joint commitment to delivering transformative experiences for every customer.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

Technology Simplification:

• Multi-vendor/multi-product construct transformed to a predominantly single vendor using native amazon solutions leveraging advanced analytics.

Seamless Execution:

• Incremental adoption of the transformed contact centre platform with 65% of agents complete in 2023 with zero disruption for customers.

Strategic Partnership Impact:

• Nuance voice biometric technology integration by Infosys enhances the customer interaction landscape.

Infosys Topaz is an AI- rst set of services, solutions and platforms using generative AI technologies. It helps amplify the potential of humans, enterprises and communities to create value from unprecedented innovations, pervasive e ciencies and connected ecosystems.

It brings the advantage of 12,000+ AI assets, 150+ pre-trained AI models, 10+ AI platforms steered by AI- rst specialists and data strategists, and a ‘responsible by design’ approach that is uncompromising on ethics, trust, privacy, security, and regulatory compliance.

Leveraging Infosys applied AI framework to build an AI- rst core that empowers people to deliver cognitive solutions, Infosys Topaz help enterprises:

Accelerate growth

Build connected ecosystems

Unlock efficiencies at scale

PERSPECTIVE

SALONI KATARIA IS A TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMATION LEADER SPECIALISING IN CLOUD, CYBER SECURITY AND RISK PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT IN FINANCIAL SERVICES. SHE HAS LAUNCHED CLOUD SERVICES GLOBALLY IN REGULATED ENVIRONMENTS WITH COMPLEX CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS AND DELIVERED CYBER SECURITY & RISK PORTFOLIOS AT AN ENTERPRISE SCALE.

NOW, SALONI DISCUSSES HER CAREER JOURNEY, AND HOW BEING PERCEIVED AS DIFFERENT PUSHED HER TO PROVE HERSELF AND HELP OTHERS IN HER POSITION FIND THEIR PLACE IN THE INDUSTRY.

HOW I TURNED BEING THE ONLY ONE INTO MY SUPERPOWER

Have you ever felt awkward in a meeting? Not just for the way you look but for your views, which are starkly different to those around the table?

For a number of years I was the only one. At school, when we migrated from India, I was the only Asian child in the class and I couldn’t speak English. At university, I was one of only a handful of girls on my Business IT course. At work, I was the only Asian woman in my immediate team.

This set of experiences from my childhood and my early career shaped me into the woman I am today. Whilst it was difficult and sometimes unfair, I used these experiences to push myself further than the 4 year old girl I was, could have ever imagined.

I always performed well at school, university, and in the workplace. High grades and performance ratings were the only way I knew how to get recognised, but luckily, I discovered there is a better, smarter way.

Some of the lessons I learned enabled me to become the Technology Transformation Leader that I am today:

TAKE RISKS, DON’T PLAY IT SAFE!

I chose a high profile assignment in Cyber Security when I returned from my first maternity leave, and I realised afterwards how much of a stretch it was balancing my first child and work. With a great support network at home, I managed to survive and thrive in my first year and this assignment led to a promotion to Director.

CREATE A DIVERSE NETWORK OF SUPPORTERS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE WORKPLACE

I cultivate relationships with my stakeholders so it’s not only about how I can support them but also how they can support me when I need advice or assistance. This has meant that many of the problems I faced were solved more easily due to the collective and varied experiences of my network.

BUILD A GREAT TEAM

A thriving team requires engagement, real connection, and time. The team needs to feel safe, empowered, and connected to

each other and connected to you as their leader.

Do this right and they will have your back at the critical moments. When my youngest daughter had heart surgery aged 2, I was a mess of emotions holding it together. However, work was simple to walk away from thanks to an amazingly engaged team and supportive boss.

Smash the day job and find something that you love whilst doing it. Whilst I enjoy delivering transformation portfolios in Cyber Security, Risk and Cloud, the things that really motivate me are supporting, advocating for, and lifting up women in the workplace.

During my career, I have worked to set up global gender diversity focus groups to listen and act on feedback from female colleagues and organised panels to discuss race and ethnicity in the workplace. I have also found myself chairing the gender diversity working group for my function and getting an exec sponsorship programme piloted for female directors whilst mentoring young girls to support their career ambitions. These initiatives keep me energised, knowing that I am making a tangible difference to someone’s career.

LOOK AFTER YOURSELF

Self-care was a real struggle for me being a working mum of two young children. I didn’t think it was important to look after myself, as everyone else came first. I learned this the hard way in the last few years by pushing myself too hard.

I realise now, that for me to show up with my ‘A’ game for my children, my husband, and my work, I have to do the work on myself. This could be yoga, a wonderful meal with my husband or a night out with friends. These are crucial to keep my energy flowing and to tackle the next big thing at work or at home.

LOOKING AHEAD

My personal and professional learning continues as I have much more to learn from the women who have gone before me and most importantly a lot to share with the girls that are studying STEM subjects or thinking about a career in technology today.

CARINE BOTTURI

VALUE FROM THE UNEXPECTED

CARINE BOTTURI, D IRECTOR OF DATA STRATEGY AND ENABLEMENT AT TELUS, TALKS ABOUT THE FUTU RE AND CONSTANT EVOLUTION OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY, AND ITS POWERFUL PURPOSE OF CONNECTING PEOPLE.

“For me, the purpose of telecommunication is still very powerful,” says Carine Botturi, Director of Data Strategy and Enablement at TELUS. “We connect people, families, businesses, whatever distance, and time zone.”

And this impactful statement has a lot of clout behind it. Botturi has been working for TELUS for almost a decade and has spent her entire career in the telecommunication sector.

“The industry is in constant evolution,” she says. “Between 1996 to 2000, we were observing huge deregulation activity. From a legislation and competition point of view, things were changing. Then there was the introduction of the IP protocol technology, the convergence of voice and data

networks, the impact of the web, and now the new hot topic, 5G.

“On top of that, you add AI capabilities, so telecommunication is always at the forefront of introduction of new technology,” Botturi adds.

As well as this, the industry is also seeing the transformation of the customer experience.

“Introduction of web capabilities have been empowering customers to interact directly with the organisation, without connecting with an agent. We’ve also seen the consolidation of tools to empower team members to be more efficient, like Google Meet,” she explains, recalling that just a few years ago, the team was working with

so many tools to communicate. “Now we see technology that empowers us to do everything at the same place, so it’s a huge efficiency gain.”

She also highlights the use of AI, with predictive analysis to understand and foresee customer behaviour, and the impact on predicting churn. “And from a project management perspective, we’ve been going through the evolution of waterfall methodology – very sequential activities to manage projects to the adoption of Agile and DevOps approaches.

“Everything is changing, and you are constantly challenged. You keep learning and developing. That’s why it’s great to be in the telecommunication sector,” she quips.

Currently, Botturi and her team are leading the implementation of two critical data programs at TELUS – metadata management and data quality. They are responsible for tool development, implementation, and maintenance, as well as the usage and

We connect people, families, businesses, whatever distance, and time zone.

adoption strategy across TELUS. And you may be surprised to hear that despite Botturi’s significant transformational skills and presence in the sector, her background and education is more business than technology. However, this does not hinder the progress of her team – her qualities complement technical skills of her team members.

“Most data leaders come from a technical background, but I think that my more business background has been an

Everything is changing, and you are constantly challenged. You keep learning and developing. That’s why it’s great to be in the telecommunication sector.

advantage to truly think through how a data culture can impact an organisation. I bring a business and process mindset as well as a focus on value creation and change management.

We all bring different strengths to the table, and every team member will have the opportunity to shine and become the expert in one area,” Botturi explains.

“To do that, you need to cultivate trust and become a very active listener and become your team members’ spokesperson. You must collaborate and openly share in a very safe environment. And you need to be open to learn and understand the value of the new opportunities brought by your team members,” she adds.

“I don’t micromanage,” Botturi states. “I trust team memxbers, so they deliver on time, on-budget, and according to the plan. And I’m going to give them the opportunity to explore new things – so when we set up goals on a quarterly basis, they have time to continue learning and exploring, and new opportunities come from this exploration work. We find value from the unexpected,” she says.

Having been a manager of teams since 2010, creating a collaborative environment so people feel they are trusted, empowered, and find opportunity to shine and thrive is Botturi’s “secret sauce”.

you can bring to the table. That’s the way I’ve been able to manage my team. I also do a lot of coaching and mentoring with younger women who want to join STEAMrelated activities at TELUS,” she says.

Diversity is one of TELUS’ values. “We promote diversity in our activities and recruitment efforts. For example, we make sure that when we publish a posting, it gets reviewed to attract as many women as men,” Botturi explains. “So, who will we employ to build a funnel of talent? Keeping in mind diversity of gender, and diversity of background experience.”

Don’t be shy, don’t be afraid to learn new things. Know yourself and your strengths and become excellent at what you do. Build your network of allies. Keep friendship outside of the technology industry and avoid creating your own roadblocks.

So, does she have a secret sauce to a successful team?

“In my team, we are mostly women –it’s not a deliberate strategy,” Botturi says. “We focus on knowledge, experience, and ability to deliver. I’m more attracted by diversity of thought, diversity of gender, and diversity of experience.

“We can create winning teams that deliver expected outcomes by combining strengths and wealth of experiences from different backgrounds, different training, and different academic backgrounds,” she explains.

Botturi states that the beauty of data is that you can thrive in it, whatever your background. “There’s always something

And Botturi hasn’t been exempt from feeling out of place due to her gender.

“I had my first interview at TELUS 10 years ago, and that interview was with three gentlemen, all of them with engineering backgrounds, all of them in Toronto. And the interview went very well. But I had that little voice running in my head telling me the good reason not to hire me, I am not an engineer by education, I am a woman, my first language is French, and I’m located in Montreal,” she says. “I was almost in denial when I got the phone call of the recruiter telling me I have the job.”

And having established a successful career in a male-dominated industry, Botturi has a list of advice for women aspiring to pursue

leadership roles. “Don’t be shy, don’t be afraid to learn new things. Know yourself and your strengths and become excellent at what you do. Build your network of allies. Keep friendship outside of the technology industry and avoid creating your own roadblocks.

“But how do we avoid these roadblocks? Always look for the next opportunity to grow, to learn, and raise around to tackle a new project, a new program, something that’s going to get you out of your comfort zone and where you will be able to showcase your value.” Botturi says.

Something else of value that has been a huge opportunity for TELUS is cloudification. Botturi and the team centralise information about TELUS’ data assets, and support analytics activities while benefiting from faster process times, and cost reduction

for storage. “We made the very conscious decision to ensure proper metadata documentation of assets being migrated to the cloud,” she says. TELUS leveraged Collibra Data Intelligence Platform as its technology enabler, “to ensure every TELUS data stakeholder can find, understand, and trust information about the data asset – the goal of the metadata program. Collibra’s partnership has now given us the opportunity to extend our automation and AI projects”.

www.telus.com

LIFESTYLE

TRAILBLAZING TECH, MEDIA, BOOKS, AND MORE.

GARMIN LILY 2

With the Lily 2 watch, Garmin aims to remain fashion-forward whilst also helping wearers keep on top of their health and fitness. With a hidden display and easily swappable leather, silicone, and nylon band options, the Lily 2 retains the look and feel of a classic watch, allowing the wearer to “embrace every style, and compliment every look.”

On the health and fitness side, the Lily 2 is equipped with the ability to monitor heart rate, respiration rate, BODY BATTERY™, sleep, hydration, and more. The watch is an excellent companion for any sporting venture, from light jogs and yoga to cycling and swimming, keeping track of all your data in the Garmin Connect companion app.

GARMIN.COM

PAST LIVES (2023, CELINE SONG)

Korean-Canadian Director Celine Song’s debut feature Past Lives premiered at Sundance in 2023 and has been gaining attention ever since. Inspired by previous events in Song’s life, the film follows Nora and Hae Sung, childhood friends who fall in and out of each other’s lives over 24 years.

Nora is a young woman who emigrates from South Korea to Toronto and moves to New

York in her early adulthood. We follow her as she finds her place in the city as a woman, a writer, and a Korean, while also exploring her relationships with Hae Sung and her husband.

The movie is now available on Netflix and is nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the 96th Academy Awards.

A24FILMS.COM

Photo: Cate Ellis

CATALYST DOG COLLAR

Apple AirTags have become a relatively cheap and efficient way to keep tabs on our pets. However, many have found issues with finding a way to keep the AirTag secure and safely attached to their dogs.

This is where the Catalyst Dog Collar comes in. The collar is available in four different sizes and is adjustable, meaning any dog from Corgis to Great Danes can find its perfect collar. The collar comes equipped with a clip-in AirTag case that is secure, durable, and has no hard or pointed edges to keep dogs comfortable.

CATALYSTCASE.COM

‘BURN BOOK: A TECH LOVE STORY’ - KARA SWISHER

Kara Swisher is a beloved American journalist who has been covering business and technology since the early 1990s and has been writing technology pieces for the New York Times Opinion column since 2018.

March 2024 sees the release of her new book ‘Burn Book’, described by publishers Simon and Schuster as‘part memoir, part history’. Inside, Swisher recounts her experiences with big names in the tech industry, seeing firsthand how they both helped and hindered our collective development over three decades.

Photo: Kara Swisher @ SXSW 2019

OUR VOICE PODCAST

Our new podcast series, ‘Our Voice - In Conversation’ sees Our Voice CEO Charlotte Clarke sit down with women in leadership to discuss everything from breaking barriers in their respective industries to the importance of a positive work/life balance.

In our first episode, Charlotte chats with GE HealthCare’s Ruji Akhtar Mahmud and Mayor of Camden Nazma Rahman about their journeys in procurement and politics.

ESTHER MUNYI

THE POWER OF PEOPLE

SASFIN’S ESTHER MUNYI DISCUSSES WHAT THE POWER OF PEOPLE AND DATA CAN DO TO TRANSFORM THE BANKING BUSINESS.

Imagine a world where organisations are just hiring clones – they’re not going to be innovative, and companies will not be able to grow. You need to embrace different people who think, well, differently.

But throughout Esther Munyi’s career, she’s been judged for being who she is. “And that means being criticised for things I can’t change. I can’t change being a woman, I can’t change being a person of colour. I mean, I’ve been judged for being soft-spoken, for not being assertive enough.”

But for someone who describes herself so modestly, she is truly a powerhouse in the industry.

Having just recently won the sought-after CDO of the Year 2023, she is currently Chief Data and Analytics officer at Sasfin,

a South African independent banking and financial service.

She looks after the whole enterprise data capabilities, and “that’s throughout the full value chain of data from data integration, data analytics, data governance, data architecture, pretty much everything other than capturing the data itself,” she says.

“I basically have a team of data engineers, analysts, architects that work every day to try and make sure that we get data to the people in the organisation that need it, make sure that we oversee and make sure that there’s proper governance on the data that we use, and use it ethically.”

Hailing from a background in consulting, Munyi has worked with a broad base of clients in different industries and markets.

PHOTO:

“I think that’s really enabled me a lot in terms of my journey and where I am now. It’s because of being able to work with different types of solutions and problems to enable diverse opportunities,” she says.

DATA DRIVER

Munyi believes that, in terms of where it sits in Sasfin, data is becoming a top strategic driver, and is one of the top priorities – how the organisation leverages and uses data it has and can obtain to make informed decisions. “We’ve realised that if we don’t use data, we will be sort of at the back foot in the industry because everybody’s using and leveraging it. So, it’s about how we also get on that bandwagon,” she adds.

Sasfin realised data is a critical asset for the organisation, with Munyi musing that it can be difficult to properly govern, so it is protected, secure, and utilised in the best way possible. And she has the view that everybody has responsibility when it comes to data, no matter the position.

“It’s not about the data team managing the data asset, it’s about everybody’s responsibility around how we leverage it. So, this is all the way from the board to the people that capture the data. We’ve made sure that even from a priority perspective, people’s KPIs, strategy, operational

efficiency, that data is part of that whole ecosystem.”

And when it comes to data and technology, Munyi says it’s important to use it based on the proper use case. “We are not an organisation that wants to just go out and use technology just for the sake of it. It’s about what makes sense, and to make sure we get value out of that technology.” The Sasfin team perform many pilots and proof of values, partnering with vendors who are familiar with those technologies and tools, which brings a shared advantage: “if we utilise skills, talents and the understanding of certain consulting agencies and vendors that understand the technology, we can leverage from that and not have to do it all on our own.

“Something I’ve come to understand is that building solutions using technology and data is the easy part – changing behaviours and shifting culture is the challenge, especially if you are used to certain processes,” she adds.

The most important part for Munyi in that process is not necessarily the technology, but the people.

She says that you are asking people, especially leadership teams, who have been using their experiences and “gut feelings”

PHOTO: CHRIS LIVERANI

The most important part I think, especially for my role as CAO, is not necessarily the technology aspect, but the people aspect. How do we get people to leverage data and use it?

So, how do we get our leadership teams to be able to understand and see the story behind the numbers, behind the reports, behind the charts? How are they able to read it, understand it and use it in a way to be able to make the right decisions? Therefore, we are gearing programs for the leadership teams through that type of lens,” she says.

Then there’s the people capturing the data or liaising with clients – how does the company enable them based on their roles? “There are so many programs out there that are very generic, but we’ve decided we want to take a different step as to how we gear those programs based on those personas in the organisation,” Munyi quips.

In terms of effective leadership and data transformation of an organisation, Munyi says it must start from the top, adding “We tend to start, try and work bottom up, but I think it can only work from the top down. The leaders of the organisation are the ones that set the culture, they lead by example.”

If they’re not data transformative and are not leading the charge in terms of using and mandating the use of data, then the organisation is doomed. “In order to truly have transformative change and have a datadriven culture, you must start from the top. That’s always my focus,” she says.

to make decisions, to now use data. “It’s a mind shift, it’s a huge ask. It’s all about changing that behaviour and changing the culture.”

A large part of Munyi’s responsibility as CAO is helping people through the journey of changing how they work, but not in a way that is aggressive and demanding. “It’s about how we support those experiences with data. It’s about enablement, it’s about support. It’s not about trying to push things down their throat”.

Munyi says people learn differently, and roles and responsibilities in business are varied. With that in mind, “when we are building programs and taking people through the journey, we also must understand these different types of personas.”

She uses the leadership teams as an example: “There’s a saying that nobody decided by looking at a number, they made a decision by looking at the story, right?

And when it comes to helping people on their learning journey with data, Munyi believes an effective CDO, CAO or data leader must lead with empathy, but she holds a ‘controversial’ thought: “I don’t think everybody should be a leader.

“We live in a society where they say success is through status. And status means holding a leadership title and being a leader; you must lead others. And I don’t think that’s true.

“I believe that to be a leader of others, you need to lead with empathy because at the end of the day, leadership is about leading yourself, then others, and then the organisation. You must be able to empathise with people’s plights.”

She uses COVID as an example: “Through the pandemic, I’m so glad that I am working with an organisation where our CEO and our leaders were empathetic to our people.”

The company’s outstanding IT leadership team was already leveraging technology as best as possible, so when COVID came, employees of Sasfin could work from home with no hassle. Munyi adds that “from a technology perspective, it made us realise that there needs to be a balance between, from an operational efficiency perspective, how we utilise and depend on technology and people.”

And what came first was the people, because “at the end of the day, they are our greatest assets. Without the people, you can’t run an organisation; you can’t run the world without people.

“I’m a big believer of people.”

knowledge of knowing that it’s going to be hard means you can be prepared emotionally and mentally.

“It’s not easy, but you’re not alone. It’s important to know you’re not alone,” she says.

It’s about how we support those experiences with data. It’s about enablement.

UNLEARNING, RELEARNING AND AUTHENTICITY

As a woman in a C-level position, Munyi has experienced challenges to become the high-flyer she is today.

And her advice to women and young girls who wish to pursue this kind of career? “It is hard. And that’s important to know that from the onset because knowledge is power –

Admitting she has social anxiety –she has even left conferences she was asked to speak at as soon as she walked in – Munyi deals with it by not talking about herself, but rather her three lessons learned in her journey: “unlearning, relearning and authenticity.

“I just imagine a world where learning, experiencing other cultures, other people, embracing our differences and unlearning biases becomes the guiding principle of how we succeed as just as human beings. And we can’t be innovative without diversity.”

Being a woman in the industry, Munyi notices that many women try to become people they’re not in order to be accepted. “I truly think that’s a disservice not only to the organisation, but to themselves. Because if you’re not yourself, you can’t grow.

“If you’re not authentically you, you can’t bring your best self to the table. So, I think it’s important to embrace yourself, but it doesn’t mean embracing the things that could hinder you.” This is what Esther means by unlearning.

For example, in Munyi’s culture, from a young age, you are told you must respect your elders. “But that has

How do we get our leadership teams to be able to understand and see the story behind the numbers, behind the reports, behind the charts?

always been translated as obey. We sometimes misconstrue respect with obedience. It was very difficult for me, especially in my journey to, for example, reprimand someone older.”

She had to unlearn and understand it is not obedience, but respect.

And you cannot stop learning. “Learning is forever. And it’s about curiosity as well. Take Albert Einstein, he didn’t think he was a genius. He just thought he was just passionately curious.”

MAINTAIN AND EVOLVE

Munyi says to be successful in maintaining good relationships with clients, you must meet their needs as they evolve. “In today’s world, clients want options. They want

hyper-personalisation of the offerings and products. So, we also put huge focus on making sure we remediate our data, ensure we have the right controls, and that client information is protected.

“A big part of being a bank is also meeting regulatory demands, that we’re managing our data correctly and our clients’ privacy properly.

“We’re also perfecting what we do best. But it’s about how we build relationships with our clients even more. And we try to do that with data. It’s how we enable the business, our leaders and our people to be more efficient using data.”

Munyi says there is so much power in data – and there isn’t a problem you can’t solve with it.

“If you want to remove inconsistencies, resource intensive processes, if you want to be digitally transformative, if you want to be client-centric, if you want to build strategic products, all of that can be done with data,” she adds.

“It’s about doing what’s right, not just for the sake of doing it. Because a lot of people just follow what’s new and emerging. But with us, our aim is doing what’s right for our organisation. And that’s starting with value. What’s the value we can gain from using the technologies, from using data?”

THE COST OF GROWTH

Many organisations are working on how to reduce costs, not just focus on growth. Especially in South Africa, with Munyi pointing to huge microeconomic factors

affecting the economy in the country. For example, load shedding, where utility company Eskom is unable to meet power demands of the country, so power is shut off for two hours every day. Also, “we had an interest rate increase the other

In order to truly have transformative change and have a data-driven culture, you must start from the top.

day, we just came out of COVID, our country just got into grey listing, which also again is impacting our economy and investors are shying away a bit. So, there’s huge pressure.

“How do we survive in an economy with all these different factors affecting us?” Munyi says that leveraging technology, and utilising what you have, is the answer.

Sasfin has partnerships with different organisations and vendors. “The way we define a successful partnership is around partners that truly want to see us succeed. Because they realise if we succeed, they do.” The ideal partner for Sasfin, is one that understands and shares risks, as well as benefits.

“If that partnership doesn’t work, it shouldn’t just be on us as an organisation, it’s also about them coming with us through that journey. We find a lot of these service providers and vendors take more ownership of that partnership if they’re also sharing the risk, and help change things to make sure we realise the value.

ESTHER MUNYI

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“We like service providers that can say, ‘You know what? This is a mistake’ when they look at a particular use case and they see the dollar or the rands in that implementation. Because there’s cost to a lot of these things,” she adds.

Using cloud computing as an example, Munyi has seen organisations go bankrupt just by moving to the Cloud because of huge costs: “They don’t realise the unseen and hidden costs around the migrations.

“We are very much around the cost benefit aspect of it to make sure that we have vendors that can help us. We want vendors who can come in and say, ‘Look, we know you want to do this huge implementation. Perhaps there’s a better way, a more costeffective way, a better way of doing it.’ Instead of just seeing the money aspect.” With partners such as Microsoft and OneStream, Sasfin also looks to partner with Fintechs like Hello Paisa, a mobile platform where you can send money from South Africa overseas. “They don’t necessarily have the track records, as they’re new and emerging. But if you are willing to share in the risk of us

taking on those solutions, then we are willing to have that conversation.”

As a niche boutique financial company, Sasfin deals primarily with asset financing, wealth management and business and commercial banking, and the clientele are mostly SME’s. “And that’s what we do well in. So, we want to partner with technology companies that know how to do the technology part well, right?” Munyi says.

Sasfin wishes to evolve its data platforms to also be cloud-based. “We want to be more low-code, no-code type of technology.

I don’t think everybody should be a leader.

We live in a society where they say success is through status. And status means holding a leadership title and being a leader; you must lead others. And I don’t think that’s true.

PHOTO:

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Our engineers spend a lot of time doing heavy work around coding, programming, and around integration, our orchestration, and building warehouses.

“We want to move away from a lot of that heavy work to ‘surface level’ work where the real value is seen, the analytical work, building models and more analytical engines.

“So that means less orchestration –you can imagine when we are building our repositories and our warehouses, we are pulling data from different types of systems,” she adds.

Yet when it comes to Sasfin’s regulatory requirements, much data needs to be integrated, like into warehousing and reporting solutions. But as the company is cost-sensitive, it wants to work with efficient, cost-savvy technologies.

BELIEF AND UNDERSTANDING

Munyi believes it’s important to understand that there is high competition in the financial

services industry – not just in the market, but in the solutions on offer. Giving emerging aspects of open banking or embedded financing, as an example, Munyi says we live in a world where non-financial businesses are also offering financial products, “so it’s important to be aware and be part of that journey. We also must focus on what we do well, but I believe we need to see what’s happening in the market competitively.”

And when it comes to the global skills shortage, Munyi wants everyone to work together to solve the problem for the future, not just for today. “We must get more people into this industry and not just look at it from a university level: how do we embed data and analytics skills from a younger age? Because by the time you start to understand data and analytics at university, it’s too late – you’ve already made your choices.

“It’s important for governments and the education departments to get involved in the conversation. We need to look at getting governments and the NGOs and NPOs aboard so we can create solutions for tomorrow.”

WOMEN IN HISTORY BEATRICE SHILLING .

Whilst March 8th now serves as International Women’s Day, it also marks the birthdays of some incredibly influential women throughout history. While many fly under the radar when it comes to the history books, their contributions to society speak for themselves and deserve a chance in the spotlight.

Born on March 8th 1909, Beatrice Shilling was a pioneering aeronautical engineer who showed her talents from a young age. Discovering an interest in disassembling and reassembling motorcycles as a teenager, Shilling developed a passion for engineering and hoped to make it a career when she became an adult.

Photo: Adrien Fu

After working for an electrical engineering company when she finished school, her employer, a fellow woman in the industry, encouraged her to pursue a degree.

In 1932, Shilling was one of just two women to graduate with an electrical engineering degree at the Victoria University of Manchester, with the course being so male dominated that female titles were not even an option of student ID cards.

After university, Shilling began racing motorcycles and went on to join the Royal Aircraft Establishment, where she was able to display her vast knowledge of aircraft carburettors.

When the second world war broke out in 1939, RAF pilots began to worry about the engines in their fighter planes as, during dogfights, negative g-force would cause the engines to flood and stall. This not only put pilots in incredible danger, but allowed enemy fighter planes to evade those of the allies.

This is where Shilling came in. She designed a small brass restrictor that limited fuel flow to the plane engine and prevented flooding, and travelled on her old racing motorcycle to fit the restrictor in planes in RAF fighter stations across the country.

Shilling’s invention remained in use for most of the war, and is still considered a modification which played a huge part in the allies winning the war.

After 1945, Shilling continued working as an engineer and inventor, playing her part in many exciting projects including designing and building a bobsleigh for the Olympic team. Whilst she received an OBE for her contribution to engineering in 1947, society’s view of her gender still sadly prevented her from reaching a top ranking position in the RAE.

Photo: Günter Lohmeyer

WOMEN-LED START-UPS

YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT.

Many Start-Up companies can be found at the forefront of modern business, development, and innovation. With the freedom and flexibility to experiment and take risks, we find that start-ups are often driving a lot of the progress in fields from technology and artificial intelligence to sustainability and renewables.

MOTIVO HEALTH

In recent years, the push for mental health awareness and support has grown, which is a huge positive. Due to the huge changes in the workplace over the past few years, easy access to mental health assistance is at the forefront of many companies’ goals. Therefore, any way to add more convenience to the lives of mental health professionals is a positive too.

Motivo Health, founded in 2018 by Rachel McCrickard, is an online platform that connects therapists with clinical supervisors. This makes it easier for therapists to gain understanding beyond their current knowledge and even apply for certain licenses and certifications.

MOTIVOHEALTH.COM

We are also seeing women-led start-ups in multiple industries turning heads due to their talented teams and cuttingedge products. Here are some of the best female-led start-ups of recent years, that you should pay attention to in 2024.

TIMELESS

Founded by celebrated technology innovator Emma Yang when she was just 16 years old, Timeless is an app which allows patients with Alzheimer’s to stay connected with their family members, sending them reminders and updates about daily tasks and family events. The app has already been well received, even being recognised as Winner of The Women Startup Challenge.

TIMELESS.CARE

SCALED

Founded in 2020 by Natalie Kerres, a design-engineer, London-based start-up Scaled develops wearables for athletes, designed to leverage injury prevention and assist in minimising longterm effects of joint injuries. Scaled’s innovative material, made up of interlocking scales, can be tailored to the specifications and needs of the wearer, maximising their ability to continue with their active lifestyle, training, and leisure activities, whilst being protected in areas where they are most prone to injury. SCALED-TECH.COM

LI-TECH

Norweigan company Li-Tech was founded in 2021 by Ida Marie Pedersen and Synne Sauar. The company’s mission is “to create a safer, more efficient and environmentally friendly waste treatment”, by detecting and removing incorrectly sorted lithium batteries in fragmented waste streams. With the production of lithium batteries rapidly increasing, leading to a greater danger of damage and fires at waste facilities, Li-Tech’s work is relevant and important.

LITECH.AI

IMPACT FOOD

Impact Food entered the scene in 2020, and aims to bring sustainable, plantbased seafood to the market. After meeting and deciding to combine their areas of expertise, founders Kelly Pan, Stephanie Claudino, and Adrián Miranda are making it their mission to tackle climate change and prevent further damage to our oceans, by finding more sustainable alternatives to our current global food systems. Currently producing vegan tuna which can be used in a variety of dishes and prepared in many ways, the company is always looking to grow and see their product feature in new restaurants.

FERMATA

In 2022, Valeria Kogan was listed on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list. Today, as founder and CEO of Fermata, she works with a team to help farmers and growers save precious time and money. Fermata’s Croptimus™ platform utilises AI and advanced machine learning to provide 24-hour surveillance over crops, detecting diseases and pests way before human scouts could. This helps reduce crop loss and save money on scouting.

FERMATA.TECH

GO JAUNTLY

Founded by Hana Sutch, with co-founder Allan Weir, Go Jauntly is a communitybased leisure app that promotes walking as a great way to improve physical and mental health. The app allows users to find curated walks that fit their personal needs in terms of length or time. The app encourages users to develop a positive relationship with nature, ditch their cars, and reduce transport emissions.

GOJAUNTLY.COM

EVENTS

FT WOMEN IN BUSINESS SUMMIT

The FT’s global flagship event on gender equality and inclusive leadership.

11 June 2024

In-Person & Digital | London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, UK

GLOBAL WOMEN IN STEM

Giving women in scientific and technological fields from all career paths access to powerful tools, strategies and connections to advance their careers and their lives.

16-18 September 2024

The Weston Buckhead, Atlanta

THE NEXT GENERATION WOMEN LEADERS ASIA–PACIFIC PROGRAM

Attendees will explore the importance of women in leadership, develop their own leadership abilities, and create a long-lasting community.

30-31 May 2024

Virtual Event

Celebrating the achievements of women

Entrepeneur