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What does WiAS mean to our members

There are many benefits to joining WiAS, where you will meet like-minded people who help and support each other in their career and more importantly connect with people who can inspire and motivate you. In order for the industry to have more women in senior positions, you need to improve the talent pipeline and provide a venue for women to support each other.

Benefits of joining WiAS:

  • Peer interaction – positive relationships that encourage dialogue on topics relevant to you
  • Events – access a schedule of interesting and thought-provoking events
  • Knowledge expansion – a safe place to exchange ideas and grow
  • Personal development – learn skills to develop and stretch your capabilities
  • Raise your personal profile – connect with the right people
  • Enhance your network – develop relationships with new contacts irrespective of your level of experience
  • Staying inspired – listen to experiences and stories of others to inspire you
  • Social – have some fun whilst discovering more about yourself

Meet your WiAS mentors

SPECIALISMS

DAN KRAMER
Chief Executive Officer,
Global Shareholder Services, Equiniti
Culture
Finding and using
your voice
.
JUDE NICOL
Director of Customer Service,
M&G plc
Culture
Building a successful
team with a
positive culture
RANILA RAVI-BURSLEM
Expert in Distribution Strategies
Sales, Distribution
and Product
Building an effective
distribution model
KATE WEBBER
Chief Responsible Investment Solutions Officer,
Principles for Responsible Investment
Sales, Distribution
and Product
Building a career
in product
PAULA KENEE
COO of Capital Markets,
Northern Trust
Sales, Distribution
and Product
Asset Servicing and
Career Guidance
.
TERRI VAN PRAAGH
Chief Operating Officer,
Global Funds Services, UK
Northern Trust
Sales, Distribution
and Product
Developing a strong
operations career
EMMA NAPIER
Consultancy Director,
NextWealth
Sales, Distribution
and Product
Building an effective
sales strategy

KATE MONSERRATE
Director,
Simplify Consulting
Change /
Consultancy
Transformational
change and Risk
Management
CARL WOODWARD
Director,
Simplify Consulting
Change /
Consultancy
Business
Architecture
and Strategy
KOMAL PATEL
CEO,
Nikao
Change /
Consultancy
Delivering
effective change
management
POPPY FOX
Investor Director,
Quilter Cheviot Ltd
Soft Skills
Expanding your network
and how to spot
job opportunities
.
ANA JORDAN
Group General Counsel
and Company Secretary,
Scottish Widows
Soft Skills
How to build a strong
stakeholder network
.
PAUL CHAPMAN
Managing Director,
Hornby Chapman
Soft Skills
Being ready for a new role,
CV preparation and
interview techniques
JAYNE BROWN
Lead Consultant,
Simplify Consulting
Soft Skills
Building your
operational expertise
.
PETER MANN
Non-Executive
Director
Soft Skills
Navigating entry
into leadership
.
KIRSTY WORGAN
Chief Commercial Officer,
GBST
Soft Skills
Building a career in
business development
.
AMIRA NORRIS
Platforms Consulting Director
Altus Consulting
Soft Skills
Pay rises, promotions,
and career fulfilment
.
GLEN TOWNSEND
Head of Oversight
and Operations,
Caceis
Acquisitions & Mergers
Delivering large-scale business
acquisitions and mergers

WiAS is excited to launch its mentor matching initiative. Building on the concept of our Speed Mentoring event we ran in 2022, feedback from attendees was that sometimes, a couple of sessions with the right mentor can really help navigate the next step in their career.

Rather than a long relationship with a mentee, we want to be able to set up short bursts of conversation tied to a specific theme, where the mentors are the experts. The short burst might be a coffee or a virtual meeting, usually no longer than an hour of time focused on an outcome.
We have reached out to our wider WiAS network and brought together a selection of experienced contacts from across the financial services industry, all of whom have a particular specialism.

How it works

After you’ve reviewed the available mentors and you have chosen who you would like to connect with, you need to drop us an email with your name, the mentor’s name and what you are looking to achieve with their help.

We will then review any requests and organise for you to be connected to arrange a suitable time to meet. It’s as simple as that!

Nominate a mentor

You can help us increase our mentor list by nominating someone who has inspired you with their guidance and advice and you feel would make a valuable addition to the WiAS mentor family. Drop us an email with their details.

We will be adding new mentors during the year to extend the areas of specialisms. If there is an area you are interested in which isn’t currently available, let us know and we can find someone to fill the gap.

Connect with a mentor

How to get involved

If you are interested in getting more involved with our networking community, or would like to be notified about future events please sign up here.

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"This was a fantastic event. My experience is that in any mentorship, the mentor learns and benefits more than the mentee. This was absolutely the case at the speed mentoring event. The questions I was asked were insightful and thoughtful and made me stop and think. If this is the future, the future is bright!"  
Dan Kramer, CEO JIAD
"What a brilliant evening – well organised and very insightful. As a mentor I certainly had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed my conversations with the mentees. There was a great energy on the night, and I believe it was useful all round."  
Poppy Fox, Investor Director, Quilter Cheviot Ltd
"Speed Mentoring must be tried by all, after the fantastic evening we all enjoyed at the joint WIP and WIAS – super focused and truly speedy it is an incredibly effective way of sharing a vast amount of knowledge with everyone in very short order."  
Sam Seaton, CEO Moneyhub
"Since joining WiAS, I have had the opportunity to meet some truly inspirational leaders. It’s also done wonders for my confidence, helping me realise that whilst I have achieved so much, there are other opportunities that I may not have previously considered."  
Stephanie Woodley, Church Commissioners for England
"My first event was an eye opener, the strength of the women speakers astounded me, they planted a seed and helped it grow. WiAS helped me achieve my ambitions; I knew where I wanted to go and they helped show me how. I will continue to use the support offered by this fabulous group of people, listen to their guidance, absorb their advice, and find the courage needed to navigate my way forward."  
Elloise Staines, Northern Trust
"WiAS has been hugely supportive of the work we are doing within education to inspire young people to develop confidence and make well, thought through, aspirational decisions about their future, as well as educating them on issues such as equality and diversity in the workplace."  
Kate Hutchins, Former Head of Careers, Kent College
"I really like the collaboration discussions, hearing from guest speakers and understanding challenges people have faced and ways in which to overcome them. I often take away what I have learned and apply that ethos into my working life, to the extent of having the confidence to take on an entirely new role within my organisation."  
Laura McKenzie, Aviva Investors
"Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your WiAS community. I attended the 'Interviewing' webinar and it was super helpful. So much that I'm going to reach out and schedule 1-1 coaching with Victoria to help prepare me for my current search. WiAS is a wonderful organization!"  
Ellen Stiene, Northern Trust