Held at the iconic St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, in the heart of London, this year’s Women in Treasury EMEA Forum was the largest yet, drawing a diverse group of treasury professionals, finance leaders and partners alongside our Within Award winners who travelled in from across Europe. The vibrant atmosphere reflected a shared commitment to driving positive change in the industry.
The afternoon kicked off with a lively networking reception, followed by a welcome address from Meg Coates, Joint Publisher & Head of Operations at the Treasury Today Group. “I want to thank you all for coming here today and for joining this exciting dialogue,” she said. Reflecting on the Women in Treasury initiative’s 12-year journey, Meg expressed pride in its achievements: “We’re incredibly proud of the success of our initiative and are inspired by the many conversations and relationships that have been created within it.”
Sophie Jackson, Joint Publisher & Head of Strategic Content, Treasury Today Group emphasised the origins of this initiative. “For those of you who don’t know, Treasury Today Group is female-founded and female-led, and therefore Women in Treasury was a natural evolution for us.”
The event then shifted focus to an engaging fireside chat led by Sophie, featuring Billie O’Conner, CEO at NOVA Community. Billie shared her unconventional journey into finance, initially setting out to be a linguist. Despite early setbacks, Billie forged her own path, crediting her success to asking questions: “Professional leaders call it being curious. I call it being incredibly nosy. I ask questions about everything. There are nice ways to ask questions, and that is one of the soft skills you develop over time.” She also stressed the value of diverse experiences, urging attendees to embrace new challenges. “You don’t have to know how to do it to apply,” she encouraged.
Reflecting on the power of community, Billie shared how NOVA started: “I got 12 of my trusted female CFOs… and said if you trust each other the way you trust me, we’ll have great conversations.” This close-knit circle has since grown into a community of over 500 members across the UK. Billie praised the generosity of professionals, emphasising that her platform thrives on the willingness of its members to give their time and advice.
Following on from the fireside chat, attendees moved to Hansom Hall where the 2024 Within Awards were presented to the three winners in attendance: Lei Wang Giaever, VP, Group Treasurer at Crayon – Highly Commended Winner Champion of Change EMEA; Asha Kumari, Deputy Treasurer at Save the Children International – Highly Commended Winner Woman of the Year EMEA; and Aysha Shiekh, Group Treasurer at Evolution – Overall Winner Woman of the Year EMEA.
Winners, Lei and Aysha then went on to join moderator, Joy Macknight for the panel discussion, alongside Monique Codjoe, Managing Director, Head of Business Management & Chief Control Office, Global Payments Solutions Europe, HSBC and Pat Brolly EMEA Head of Merchant Acquiring Product at J.P. Morgan Payments.
Highlights from the panel discussion
Joy began the panel discussion with an introduction to her history with Treasury Today and the Women in Treasury initiative. “I remember the first Women in Treasury article we published in January 2013. Since then, Treasury Today has profiled more than 70 remarkable female treasurers and treasury professionals,” Joy said, highlighting the importance of continual efforts to enhance diversity and inclusion.
The panellists then recounted their career journeys so far. Aysha shared her unconventional path to treasury, starting her career as a spa therapist before transitioning into finance. Her early experiences running her own business taught her valuable lessons in hard work and perseverance. Reflecting on her later transition into treasury, she noted, “It was like a full world just opened up to me,” emphasising the excitement of navigating new challenges in risk management and treasury consulting. Aysha’s ability to adapt, especially when moving to the Middle East, revealed how different regions demand unique solutions: “What I was doing in Europe is not going to work here. So, what do I need to do differently here?”
Similarly, Lei recalled her unexpected journey into treasury after leaving her role as a financial analyst whilst pregnant. “Cash management, what is that? Must be boring,” she initially thought when looking at the job advert, but her husband’s encouragement sparked a new interest. That experience became a turning point, and she found joy in bridging gaps between departments, noting that treasury became a place where she could “improve all the processes” she encountered.
Monique, a 21-year HSBC veteran, reflected on her career growth at the bank. “The one thing that has been really helpful for my career is that with each step I was always broadening the scoop of what I was doing so I could get just that little bit more range, whilst still feeling comfortable enough to lean on what I knew quite well,” she mused.
Pat’s career has taken a different approach, having had a brief stint as a teacher abroad first before transitioning into corporate life: “I didn’t have a set career path when I first started out. My first role was in Finance at a small start up which, as it grew, allowed me to gain experience in different parts of the organisation. Since then, I have had roles in Operations, Sales, Marketing, Product and also had the chance to work in different countries – these ‘stretch’ moves to different teams are a great way to grow and also understand the business from different perspectives and put me in a much stronger position to go for promotions.”
Exclusion in the workplace
The 2024 Women in Treasury Global Equity Study findings revealed that 89% of respondents felt excluded from networking due to their gender. Other areas of exclusion included age (33%), ethnicity (25%), (dis)ability and religion (11%) and sexual orientation (3%).
Pat shared her experiences during her early career: “In the 90s, when I first started out, there was a large drinking culture – work relationships and careers were forged over lunch or after work at the pub – which was tough for women who wanted to network in a different way. I think that the establishment of ‘Women in Business’ networks, such as Women in Treasury, but also networks internally within our own organisations, have created a safe space for open dialogues where women can connect, share experiences and more importantly, act as advocates for other women in the workplace”.
Lei recounted a moment of discrimination when her emotions were criticised, an experience she attributed to her gender. “The more we speak up, the more we will save others from awkward moments like this,” she urged.
Monique stressed the importance of allies in standing up against discrimination. “It’s not on the person that’s been oppressed to bear the cost of standing up for themselves,” she said.
Flexible working
One of the key topics discussed was the impact of flexible working, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Global Equity Study shows that 91% of respondents feel it is important that their company offers flexible working. Furthermore, 42% see an equal uptake in flexible working between genders, whilst 31% do not.
Pat shared how flexibility had been vital during personal challenges: “I was living and working in Germany when my mum passed away six years ago, and having the flexibility to work from London throughout her short illness was really valued. I couldn’t have gotten through that period without having a tremendously supportive boss and team.”
Sharing a balance to the argument, Aysha spoke of how she joined Evolution during the pandemic. “I was in the office for two weeks and then we decided to work from home, and I struggled to understand: who do I reach out to for each question, how do I establish these connections, because I didn’t know the people I was working with,” she argued.
The conversation also touched on the declining awareness of men taking parental leave, with only 37% of respondents recognising a significant number of men in their organisation taking paternity leave. Lei highlighted the importance of encouraging men to take parental leave, describing it as “the first step of a balanced relationship and good co-operation as parents,” which helps break down traditional gender roles both at work and at home.
Board quotas
The debate on gender quotas in leadership was another central issue. While quotas were acknowledged for helping women gain a seat at the table, the panel agreed that they are not a complete solution. “It’s not just about having half female, half male – it’s about truly having diverse perspectives embedded in our businesses,” Monique noted. Pat added, “When you start linking compensation and incentives to quotas, the dial starts to move,” suggesting that more structural changes are needed to make lasting progress. “I think as leaders in this room we can stand up and be a voice,” she urged.
Personal efforts to advance diversity beyond the corporate world were also shared, such as Aysha’s work running a charitable school in rural Pakistan. “Education is the foundation,” she said, highlighting her mission to provide access to education and clean water to poorer communities. Aysha shared her ambitions to continue her work in Pakistan: “I’m looking forward to creating a school for girls only, that parent will feel safe sending their girls to.”
As the discussion moved on to questions from the audience, the panel explored how to navigate poor management. Monique focused on the positive learnings that can be taken from poor leadership, reflecting on her own experience: “not only do you learn how you don’t want to lead, but it really forced me to be comfortable being uncomfortable and to take risks. It forced me to learn that it is me that holds the reins for my career journey and my career trajectory.”
Aysha added, “poor leadership is something that most people in the room will have experienced, it is always a challenge and we need to find a way to navigate that.” She went on to advocate knowing when to speak up or remove yourself from a situation: “For me personally, I would rather remove myself than stay in a toxic environment.”
Monique concluded the discussion with a hopeful vision: “I can’t wait for the day where we don’t need people’s titles to say ‘diversity and inclusion’ in them, and diversity, equity and inclusion is truly embedded into the day to day of the business.”
