Member Article

Axon Moore Chairs Gender Diversity Debate

Senior female finance professionals shared their experiences of gender diversity issues in the workplace with 40 young accountants at a forum, entitled Women in Finance: Can You have it all? hosted by the ICAEW Chartered Accountants Manchester, in partnership with specialist financial recruitment company Axon Moore and Barclays.

Organised by Stephen Gillan and chaired by Alison Atkinson of Axon Moore, the event was held at Barclays in central Manchester and examined the career development issues facing young women in the sector today. It covered a wide range of subjects including the percentage of women represented on executive boards and other senior finance roles, career breaks, the concept of the proverbial glass ceiling becoming thicker in recent times and disengagement and loss of talent from the sector.

Guest speakers included:

• Claire Frangou (Business Development Director, Zeus Capital)

• Karen de Meze (Group Finance Director, Bowdon Group)

• Kate Finn (Audit Director, PwC)

• Mags Laidlaw (Partner, Mazars)

The forum provided an informal opportunity for members of the Manchester Young Chartered Accountants Group (MYCAG) to hear the first-hand experiences of female finance professionals who have successfully risen to senior positions. Delegates had an opportunity to ask questions and discuss milestones and challenges in the journey to the top of the profession.

Commenting on the event, Alana Briggs from ICAEW said: “I was inspired by stories of how female finance leaders succeeded in their careers. They roused a room full of young chartered accountants who are at the beginning of their careers, and will be looking for role models. It is vital to know that in order to get ahead, you must plan for your career progression. I hope that as more women enter the accountancy profession, we see more and more women at the top in finance.”

Axon Moore’s Alison Atkinson said: “We asked the question whether women in finance can have it all and the informative presentations from inspiring female role models - all high achievers in the sector - demonstrated that with careful career planning it’s certainly possible to have the best of both worlds. The spirited discussions that followed provided a valuable insight into the importance of gender diversity in the sector. In our nationwide financial recruitment activities we at Axon Moore are in daily contact with exceptional female candidates across the UK and we can definitely confirm that the financial sector is brimming with excellent career opportunities for women”.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Williams .