From Russia with Love

It may sound boring but working in finance became my dream when I was about 14 years old. It was an exciting time in Russia (I am originally from Russia), post-Perestroika and I saw how the country was changing and a big part of it was the evolving financial industry (pretty much non-existent in its pure form during the communism era). I found it exciting to learn how the banking system had to change and evolve to serve the new nation’s needs, how the financial sector had to break free from the government control and I decided that I am going to study finance because it was clear to me that it is one of the main building blocks of our life. I studied Banking & Finance at the university and after starting my career as a currency trader working for a private bank I soon realised that finance is a very diverse area and there is a lot to choose from. It is an exciting industry to work in and it offers unlimited opportunities for professional (and personal) development in various areas. I now work as a senior consultant for a global consulting company in Australia providing services to our clients (ie super funds, industry funds, endowments, charities, wealth management businesses, etc) and the idea of helping them to achieve better outcomes for their members makes my job very exciting and fulfilling. 

Dania Zinurova, Director of Manager Research, Australia, WillisTowersWatson

Louise's journey

A career in finance presents a great opportunity to work on challenging assignments, to work abroad, gain financial independence and a rich tapestry of sectors to establish a long career. I have been able to work across the capital spectrum, from equity capital markets, equity research sales, funds management and alternative investments e.g. hedge funds. This has provided a great opportunity to manage the many variations of client relationships who partner with these segments. My experience in finance has equipped me with a diverse and influential global network of colleagues, mentors and friends, who I continue to learn from.

Louise Watson, Head of Australia/NZ, CQS

Sally's passion for superannuation

In my job running the peak business organisation for Australia’s massive financial services sector, I am passionate about many issues, but close to the top is tackling the gender wealth gap, and how to get more women into careers in financial services. I would love to see schools encouraging girls to run money in the same way they encourage girls to be engineers and doctors. When it comes to the gender wealth gap, I  have been publicly honest about my own mistakes. I did not engage early enough with super, I don’t have enough. The upside is that I’m now a warrior to ensure history doesn’t repeat. The FSC started #SavingGirls to draw attention to the fact that girls who save, whether through a savings account, investing in a managed fund or contributing more to super, become financially secure, independent women.

Sally Loane, CEO, FSC

How I was encouraged into find out more about Finance...

I was inspired to get into finance through my godfather. Growing up, he always lived overseas - Japan and the US, mainly. He came home to Australia, generally over summer, and always under much fanfare, with my mum and dad and their friends eager to understand what he had been up to. Most people didn't know what he did, but everyone knew he was in the financial services industry.

To me, as a young woman at school, he was always an international man of mystery; A person telling wonderful, endearing and enthusiastic stories of big deals, of places he had been to and people he had met. He always sounded like he had great time with lots of learning, changing markets and no day ever been the same. I was super eager to find out for myself one day. 

So when I decided to go to uni, I knew what I wanted to explore: it was financial services. And over 20 years later, I now know why he had a great time. I too have done much exploring across the globe, never having one day similar to the next. I look forward to the next 20 years in this interesting and forever on the move industry. 

C xx