International Women’s Day 2023 🤝

Julie Tuffrey, Chief Product Officer

What is your professional background and experience?

I left school in the late 80’s and the career advice at that time was highly geared towards financial services being an exciting and growing industry.

I have always been driven as a person and in my very early career, I soaked up all the information and experiences that I was exposed to. I worked very hard, doing any jobs required at the time to get experience of the industry as a whole.

I was very quickly engrained in the business and lucky enough to be given the chance to work across many different business areas and functions, working from trainee to ultimately C suite.

I have loved every minute of my career, from the early formation years and the journey since, which has been equally as varied. I have worked with a number of large multinationals and small start-ups. It’s been great fun, hard work and very rewarding and I have been fortunate enough to work with some fabulous and very talented people and clients over the years.

Have you ever faced any barriers in your career due to being a woman? If so, how did you overcome them?

In the 1980’s the business was seen as male dominated, and like most women, I had experiences that were unacceptable but I had a self-belief that I could achieve.

I worked with some amazing individuals (men and women) and gained trust and respect, building strong relationships, many of which I still have to this day. For me, I focused on achieving and I believe that hard work and determination drove me to get the job done to a high standard.

I’ve been fortunate enough to lead amazing teams of talented individuals over the years, and the reward of seeing someone develop is the ultimate prize for me.

I don’t consider being female a barrier to success.

How can we encourage more women to pursue senior leadership roles within their career?

Women are an incredibly untapped resource in the senior leadership roles in my opinion. They have so many talents and areas they can add value – there is no downside to me.

The right woman leader will bring all the same talents as their peers, with added empathy and pragmatism and be able to inspire future female talent to follow the example.

I think a diverse leadership team, with gender and cultural variety is very valuable to shape and lead businesses for the next generation and I would encourage any woman considering a senior role to aim for their dreams.

It’s incredibly rewarding and I believe that we can hugely benefit from the addition of exceptional female talent.

Lauren Tyson, EA / Business Manager

What is your role as EA to CEO / Business Manager?

Within my role, I support our CEO Matt Povey and the senior management team. Acting as the conduit between our operating functions and the management team I’m responsible for escalation and reporting across the business.

Has there been a Woman that has inspired you in your career?

I’ve been lucky enough to work with some fantastic, inspirational women over the years, but there is one woman who initially comes to mind.

My previous boss, the EMEA IT Director of a Global Asset Management firm supported me both personally and professionally during a difficult time in my life. She developed me and enabled me to learn some valuable skills within my role.

Sadly, during my employment, a family member became extremely unwell which required me to act as a carer twice a week. She supported me emotionally, allowed me to work flexibly, and was there day or night to speak to.

This person juggled an extremely demanding job, financially supported her family, emotionally supported her colleagues, all whilst being a single parent to a daughter who is equally as fantastic.

The empathy she was able to show me whilst holding down a senior role was truly inspirational.

How do you succeed in an industry that is statistically a male dominated environment?

I’m very fortunate that I work with an abundance of supportive, inclusive and thoughtful people, so for me it’s very easy.

I have a boss who supports me, along with colleagues who treat me as an equal.

I think as a woman within any business sector, you need to put yourself out there and have the confidence to know that you can do anything anyone else can do.

Want to strengthen your risk & control capabilities?

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