In conversation with… Victoria Loosmore

What do you see as the biggest challenges in building a truly diverse workforce in credit and financial services?  & Why do these challenges persist, and what role should all leaders play in dismantling them?

Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging can be seen as topical, and not a core element of business success.  This results in a lack of investment in diversity, inclusion and belonging across all career stages throughout organisation, with many focussing upon the representation at the top table.

Thinking of this in terms of socio-economics, if we start at Early Careers and consider recent events, Covid saw a shift in the way we work, but it also saw a seismic shift in the presence of financial services in many communities; banks closing and being replaced by once or twice weekly banking hubs.  This hasn’t just taken the presence of financial services away from many areas, arguably, it has taken the presence of the industry away from the minds of the next generation and from many schools early career programmes.

Also, it’s interesting to understand why people have entered the industry in the first place.  Is the reason support roles, and roles considered to be starting points in careers, showing greater levels of diversity because those within them never aspired to have or never considered a career in financial services?  Could it be a job vs career debate and therefore we need to do more to promote the industry as being a place with diverse career options for everyone?

As leaders we need to be curious, have a desire to understand deeply then be committed to acting.  We need to find meaningful, impactful and realistic ways to ensure Financial Services is a career accessible to all, regardless of background or location – visibility and presence is a huge part in this.

What role do you see male leaders playing in accelerating progress on inclusion, and how does attending this event help them do that?

I struggle in saying what the role is of male leaders because I believe every leader has a part to play, regardless of gender.  Diversity, inclusion and belonging is about seeing people for their skills, capability and potential, and supporting people in making their aspirations a reality.  This isn’t a question of leadership gender, but a question of being good leaders and decent human being, and those who aspire to be an inclusive leader that creates a great sense of belonging, will get loads out of this event.

Any advice for the next generation looking to develop their careers and 6. What is the best career advice you’ve ever received?

Know what you’re good at, understand what you love, and find a role that allows you to do both.

Don’t wait for an empty seat, pull up your own.

What are you most looking forward to at this year’s Women & Diversity in Credit Conference, and what outcome would you most like to see for attendees post-event?

There is something truly special about this conference that you don’t get in any other; speakers are incredibly vulnerable, inspirational, raw and authentic, and every person who attends wants to learn and make a difference.

Join us at the Women & Diversity Conference to see Victoria speak.