“It’s so important to take your moment to shine...Women should share their success, speak up more and have their voices heard.”

Connecting with strong female role models

“I wanted to move into strategic financial planning with companies and business organisations - that meant getting closer to the action. There’s no better place than London for that, and there’s no better business school than LBS."

“The Masters in Financial Analysis (MFA) was recommended by friends as an ideal programme to pick up the strategy skills and tools to move my career forward. When I visited the campus and discovered how unique and innovative the MFA programme was, I instantly knew I’d found the perfect platform for my personal and professional development."

“I’ve built a tight network of fellow MFA and other students, including MBAs, students on the Masters in Management and faculty – bonds that have endured and now form the basis of my ‘London family’. It’s important for everyone to have a strong network, but for women in particular, having female role models to relate to at every level of experience is really helpful in your career path. When you have a connection or a mentor who is further down the line, you can appreciate the challenges of things like family priorities and get more of an idea of what your own career might look like 10 or 20 years from now."

“There’s no doubt that working in this industry can be tough. In finance there’s more parity early on in you career, but female representation in senior ranks remains an issue. And while many key players are making efforts to resolve this, the reality is that most jobs could be more flexible, and both women and men would benefit from this."

“My philosophy is very much to speak up on issues like gender representation. It’s also something I want to communicate to other women who are treading the same path as me. I was recently invited to take part and share my perspective at Morgan Stanley’s graduate recruitment events – I’ve noticed how some women attending these events can appear as self-doubting and lacking in confidence. I would love to see more young women realise how smart they are and show it."

“Now I make sure I’m available to other young women who reach out for advice. Anybody I meet at recruitment and other events is welcome to come to me with any questions or doubts they may have."

“At Morgan Stanley women support each other regardless of hierarchy or superiority. We have a Women’s Business Alliance which enables us to gain advice and to ask for feedback from a broad network of employees. Young women considering getting into finance or business should be proactive in reaching out to other women and build up their networks. I always respond to women I’ve met who need advice. It’s time we supported each other more at every level.”