On 4th February 2016 the Department of Finance held its first annual Women in Finance event, organised by Janet Bacastow, Andrea Vedolin, Michela Verardo and Kathy Yuan.
A panel (moderated by Kathy Yuan) of seven outstanding women with successful careers in finance shared stories and gave advice on career progression, maintaining a work-life balance and the importance of mentors. Some top tips from the panel included: be yourself; don’t apologise for things beyond your control; don’t shy away from self-promotion; and find a supportive boss!
The panellists came from many different areas of finance including Private Equity, Research, Sales & Trading, Risk and Entrepreneurship. Despite the variation in career path chosen, many had faced similar challenges and were able to give well-rounded and practical advice to all attendees regardless of their area of finance.
A lively discussion of the effectiveness of gender quotas in industry rounded off the discussion, after which a networking reception was enjoyed with the current female (and sadly only one male) students in the Department of Finance.