According to Innovate Finance’s recent Women in Fintech report, women hold less than 5% of top executive roles at Europe’s top 50 fintech firms, and there was only one female CEO in that collection. This is a common problem in a multitude of business sectors. The Fortune 1000 list of America’s 1,000 largest companies features just 51 female CEOs. And only 11.6% of Fortune 500 CFOs are women. However, we're seeing more women get involved in technology and we want to support that growth.
We recently sponsored a Women In Tech networking event at Barchart headquarters in Chicago. Dr. Shola Ezeokoli, CEO at Wilson Daniel Group, talked about how focusing on your mental and physical health will make you more productive with better results. This was followed by a panel discussion focused on issues surrounding women’s career in tech. Erin Massey of Putnam Media led the discussion between Valerie Beck, CEO, Chocolate Uplift; Terri Braxx, Co-Founder, Women Tech Founders; Rosa Zamora, Program Officer, Strive for College; and our own Estee Jimerson, SVP of Manager Services, Envestnet®.
The panelists answered questions such as, "What's the biggest obstacle you've overcome in your career?" "Do you feel like maternity leave is/was ever a risk?" and "Any advice on how to get involved in tech?" Getting involved in tech also means finding your passion and following it. It means to always be learning, to ask for help when you need it, and most importantly, to be confident in yourself. The panel shared that there is never a "perfect time" to take maternity leave in a career; instead, each person should do what is right for them. Another panelist talked about how she had faced issues in her own maternity leave, which helped her find passion to start her own company.
A recurring theme was that being a successful woman in tech not only requires competence, but also confidence. It's not just about being good at your job, but believing you're good at your job, especially in a male-dominated workplace. Among the Envestnet® | Yodlee® network, there have been several examples of women role models making an impact in the tech world. As mentioned in Innotribe’s Power Women in Fintech, Sukinder Singh Cassidy is the Co-Founder of Yodlee and the CEO and Founder of Joyus.com. She has had an extensive career in fintech including employment at Merrill Lynch, Google and Amazon.
Also, Techies is a portrait project focused on sharing stories of tech employees in Silicon Valley. It recently featured an inspirational story about Grace Francisco, former Director of Developer Evangelism at Yodlee and current Head of Global Developer Advocacy of Atlassian. Lastly, Estee Jimerson, SVP of Manager Services at Envestnet, was one of the panel speakers at the Women in Tech networking event. She currently heads up the team responsible for deepening relationships with Asset Managers across the Envestnet suite of services. Prior to joining Envestnet, Estee spent eight years at Morningstar Investment Management and also held relationship management positions with ABN-AMRO and New England Financial.
Who are the top women strengthening the connection between finance and technology? Checkout this list of 31 women leaders making a difference at the forefront of fintech.
