WE had a great turn out for our first Women in Broking Live! event on 17 July, which brought together women brokers, funders and suppliers to discuss industry challenges and female representation in the sector. 

The event, sponsored by Fleet Alliance and outsourced personal assistant business MiPA, took place over a delicious lunch at Café Murano in Covent Garden, London, with attendees swapping seats between courses to make sure everyone had the chance to make new connections. 

Laura Muir
Laura Muir, Fleet Alliance: diversity agenda
Emma Mills 2
Emma Mills, MiPA: outsourcing benefits

There was plenty of inspirational advice from our guest speaker Alice Altemaire, CEO of Mobilize Financial Services and Director of the new multimarque leasing business and funder Select Lease by Mobilize.

Alice Altemaire
Alice Altemaire, CEO of Mobilize FS: tips on overcoming hurdles to career progression

Our key takeaways from Alice’s speech were:

  • Be clear about your long-term aspirations. Communicate where you see your role developing in the future.  
  • Persistence pays off. Alice wanted to move into general management from finance but had to wait for the opportunity to become UK CEO. “Even if something you want isn’t happening at that time it doesn’t mean it won’t happen at some point,” she said. 
  • If you’re offered a role, don’t be afraid to ask for the package that meets your needs. Alice said that women tend not to ask for something because they think it’s unrealistic but they might be surprised by what is offered. 
  • Women’s differences can be strengths. Alice highlighted how she can be outspoken without being seen as confrontational and how she has developed a caring managerial style. 
  • Efficiency can help women achieve a better work-life balance. Alice delegates to others and blocks time out in her diary for family commitments.
  • Women can have an impact on female representation in the industry by informal networking, sharing their experiences and mentoring others. 
  • Male mentors can be just as valuable as female mentors. Alice had several male managers during her career who she could turn to for advice. 
  • Succession planning is vital to get more women into board level positions. “Identify who you have in your portfolio who could get there and provide the training,” she advised. 

Attendees shared with us what they thought was beneficial about the Women in Broking Live! event

Felecity McNamara

“Alice was an absolutely fantastic speaker. I felt inspired by the messages she was giving. Networking has also allowed me to meet people from other organisations who share very similar experiences. It’s nice to talk about those experiences and really help each other.”

Felicity McNamara, Account Director, Lex Autolease

Lynette Randall“Women in Broking is particularly helpful for women who are new to the sector so they can make connections and have some familiar faces when they attend other industry events.”

Lynette Randall, Co-owner,
Alpha Contracts Leasing

 

See all the pictures from our Women in Broking Live! event

Show CommentsClose Comments

Leave a comment