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!
Clockwise from top left: Christine Bourron (Pi-eX), Nina Korolyova (Goldman Sachs), Laura Muller (Deutsche Bank), Aisling Doyle (Deutsche Bank), Catherine Lewis La Torre (Cardano), Kathy Yuan (LSE), Lucy Heintz (Actis), Silvia Ardagna (Goldman Sachs).
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.