When the subject of women at work comes up, as it often does in and around March’s annual International Women’s Day, much of the focus tends to be around gender imbalance at work and pay gaps.
There is a lot left to be done there, both in the UK and globally. Here, the most recent figures from the government indicate that as of April 2023, median pay for all employees was 14.3 per cent less for women than for men.
There are fewer women than men in STEM roles in general, and within the financial services sector, women and men tend to be close to parity at the start of their careers, but by the time it comes to senior roles, the C-suite is still largely dominated by men.
The news isn’t all negative though. A report from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has established that these days nearly 40 per cent of board positions are held by women, compared with just 12.5 per cent a decade ago.
But according to Financial Conduct Authority rules, women should make up at least 40 per cent of a company board anyway. It also requires that at least one of the senior board positions be occupied by a woman.
Still, while 40 per cent of FTSE 100 firms don’t have a woman in one of their top four executive roles, there is more positive news emerging from one sector in particular.
According to a new report from Korn Ferry, last year, women accounted for 35 per cent of new CEO appointments at retail companies, up from 5 per cent in 2012.
“Adding women CEOs has been a constant theme of the last couple of years,” says Sarah Lim, Korn Ferry’s managing director of the Consumer Board and CEO Services practice.
While that’s good news, the report also warns that because it can take many years of mentoring and development to achieve C-suite status, it is incumbent that companies keep developing their female talent pipelines in order to maintain these gains.
If you’re looking for a leadership position in retail or any other industry, then you can discover thousands of roles on the The London Economic Job Board. Explore three jobs that are currently on offer below.
Head of Finance, Origin Coffee, London
Joining the Origin Coffee senior management team, the Head of Finance will play a pivotal role in managing financial performance, and will serve as an integral cornerstone. You will meticulously oversee all financial functions, partner with department leads to support them continuously with the right numbers when they need them, and with clear business plans and ways of tracking progress.
You’ll need a proven technical background to drive robust and accurate reporting across many stakeholders, and you will take full responsibility for production of both the management accounts and board report to be presented each month.
To apply, you’ll need ACA, ACCA, or an equivalent qualification in finance or accounting. A proven track record in senior-level financial management roles, preferably within the retail or FMCG sectors is also required, as is strong leadership and team management abilities, plus an in-depth knowledge of financial regulations, accounting standards, and compliance requirements. See more requirements here.
Senior Quantitative Finance Manager, Bank of America, London
This Senior Quantitative Finance Manager role is based in London, and sits within Bank of America’s Market Risk Analytics group, which is responsible for providing quantitative and analytics support. Your responsibilities will involve developing quantitative risk models, analytics and applications in support of market risk assessment and regulatory capital calculation.
You’ll also perform analysis for VaR/RNiV model development, documentations/submissions and aid in addressing required action items raised by model risk, issues from regulators, audit and model performance tests. Plus, you will perform statistical analysis on market historical data and model parameters and develop and support benchmarking and back testing.
A PhD (preferred) or MSc degree in quantitative fields such as financial engineering, mathematics, statistics, physics, computer science, or equivalent, is necessary, as is experience in developing FO pricing models or market risk models, and advanced programming skills in Python. Get full details here.
VP, Finance & Accounting – EMEA Music, Wasserman, London
Wasserman is a global leader in sports, music, entertainment and culture, operating globally across 27 countries and in more than 62 cities. It is currently looking for a VP, Finance and Accounting to join the music team in London.
You’ll be responsible for providing financial and management services to Wasserman’s EMEA Music division to ensure an efficient, accurate and timely financial and management and client accounting function. Ensuring alignment with US reporting requirements and instigating systems and processes to deliver timely information. Delivering an excellent standard of client service, compliance with external regulatory and reporting obligations, internal management reporting processes and deadlines is required, as is seven or more years’ PQE with a recognised UK professional qualification (CIMA/ACCA/ACA) or overseas equivalent or equivalent expertise in a similar role. Apply for this job today.
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