The all-day events, hosted by Sheffield Business School, gave the students the chance to get out of the classroom and engage with an array of female industry practitioners at various stages of their careers. The days were female-led, and the students heard from, and got to speak to, guests about what life is like as a woman working in finance.
The events also included activities led by female academics to give the students a taste of the sort of things they can expect to do if they embark on a career in finance.
Over the last two years, the Sheffield Hallam Women in Finance events have been supported and attended by women from HSBC, Aviva, Investec, Zishi, JDL Wealth, Global Risk Partners, CFA UK and The Chartered Insurance Institute.
Damion Taylor, Financial Services Lead in Sheffield Business School, said: “Not just in my role as Financial Services Lead for Sheffield Business School but also as a parent to my daughter, I’m really keen to help our industry partners break down the barriers that are stopping female talent entering our industry. Having worked in the industry all my life alongside some inspirational female leaders, I know what a great career Finance can offer for women as well as men. This is why we are teaming up our female academics and practitioners to get the message into schools and colleges across the region that Finance is not just for boys.”
Sheffield Hallam ran two events as part of this year’s programme. The first was, specifically for New College Doncaster, a partner college with a significant female student community who wanted to hear more about careers in finance. The second event was attended by around 50 students and teachers from schools and colleges across the region.
Maddy Cameron, who teaches business and economics at King Edwards VII school, said: “We first found out about the ‘Women in Finance’ event from Damion Taylor and SHU’s outreach team. This has been our second year attending and what a privilege it was to be welcomed back. The day had a profound impact on the girls' personal and professional development, alongside igniting their ambition to pursue careers in finance. They all left the taster day feeling empowered and confident, with a renewed determination to excel in the future. Thank you to all involved at Sheffield Hallam.”
The Schools and Colleges Liaison and Outreach team at Sheffield Hallam University supported the Department of Finance, Accounting and Business Systems with the event.
