Jennifer credits much of her career progression to male and female colleagues and allies who have helped her along the way. She still recalls their advice today and checks-in with them to bounce ideas. Like her former colleague back at the bank in Ireland who reached out to her to cover her maternity leave in the broker sales role; that turned out to be her first career break.
It’s one of the reasons that drives her to do the same for others today. Jennifer mentors a dozen or so people to both share her own career learnings but also because she believes it will create a ripple effect where her mentees today will go on to support others tomorrow.
Jennifer’s style of mentorship is hands on and focused on giving concrete advice. For example, many of her mentees are women who particularly ask for her support to help them be more visible and present in the workplace. Mindful of cultural nuances, her advice includes focusing on single things that help give women confidence to “turn up” when they walk into a room. It might be a particular outfit or something as simple as physically changing their posture to lean into the table and project themselves in a way that fits their character.
Her style of leadership is just as inclusive – and celebrated. Jennifer leads a large team and strives to influence people and “bring them along the journey” rather than issue orders from the front. She is self-aware enough to know one of her biggest challenges is “putting herself back in the box” and giving others a chance to voice their opinions and speak.
She has an open-door policy because she wants to ensure she is always approachable to any member of her team whether they want to simply get something off their chest and be heard or need advice. She believes that good leadership involves giving people space rather than micro- management and she will never criticise any of her team in public. “They know that once outside my door, I have their back,” she says.
It’s an approach that both ensures her team members have phycological safety and enables her to fix any issues before they grow worse. She is also emphatic that everybody from the top down and in whatever organisation makes mistakes because it’s human nature.
In another example of the humanity that sits at the core of her leadership, Jennifer advises her team and mentees on the importance of drawing on their support mechanisms when things get tough. Levers to pull could include a partner, friends, coach or personal trainer that together make an essential support circle that helps keep us grounded and present, particularly when things grow tough.
Jennifer is just as engaged with supporting others outside her immediate team. She sits on Standard Chartered’s Corporate & Investment Banking Diversity and Inclusion Council where she is particularly focused on driving engagement and making sure Standard Chartered is “partnering with likeminded clients”.
Outside work she is a board member of U-Go, a charity that helps ambitious and promising young women in low-income countries to pursue higher education by providing financial scholarships funded by individuals and corporations. U-Go Founder and CEO John Wood, who also founded the award-winning education charity Room to Read, refers to Jennifer as a “rock star.”
Every year successful female students under the programme gather at an off-site to tell their stories where Jennifer comes into her own offering mentorship and encouraging resilience.
She is also involved in the Women of the Future programme in South-East Asia.
