As part of events organised throughout March by Saffery Champness to mark Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, all staff were invited to join a Teams call to hear ex-RAF pilot and all-round-inspiration, Mandy Hickson's keynote speech: “Choose your flight path”.

Although I have always been fortunate to have strong female role-models both at work and at home, I was keen to listen to Mandy’s experience of fighting for a place in a male-dominated career and eventually becoming only the second woman to fly the Tornado GR4 on the front line.

While thankfully, I do not directly relate to Mandy’s experience of fighting to gain recognition in her chosen career, I was grateful for the chance to hear her story. I firmly believe that we should all take as many opportunities as possible to listen to the diverse range of experiences, ideas and opinions of others. Not only does everyone have a unique perspective to give, but we also each take something different from hearing these stories which we can apply to our own lives.

As Compliance Manager in Guernsey, a self-confessed feminist and advocate for equality, what I took from Mandy’s talk was perhaps very different to what a younger trainee in the UK, or a Director in Geneva, may have taken from her story. Our journeys may all be different, but our perspectives – in my view – all hold equal merit.

Unlike Mandy’s journey in the RAF, my career path in compliance has been one where women have either had equal representation or, in some cases including at Saffery in Guernsey, are in the majority. Despite this, it still took a conscious effort to find my voice at work and I have certainly experienced Imposter Syndrome, which is loosely defined as the feeling an individual has when they have doubt over their skills, talents or abilities, feeling like a fraud or do not feel they are as competent as others perceive them to be.

Mandy touched on her own experience of Impostor Syndrome, which impacts three in five employees, with women being disproportionately affected. The open discussion of this issue by women like Mandy, who to an outsider appears so confident and self-assured, is something that has driven me to push myself to find my voice in the workplace. This, I believe plays an important part in building up confidence, demonstrating to yourself that you are competent and deserve your place at the table, which ultimately helps with tackling your own Imposter Syndrome.

Described by my father as one of his two “strong-willed, independent daughters”, I have always been comfortable with the power of my voice in my personal life and have even used it to challenge States’ Deputies (Guernsey’s equivalent to MPs in the UK), on social issues relating to personal choice and equality, not only for women, but for all demographics. Because of this, my family and friends would probably find it surprising that at work, it took some time for me to find this confidence.

In compliance in particular, it is essential to be confident in your ability to say ‘no’, or to be able to explain the rationale for any necessary restrictions if you say ‘yes but’. Because of this, compliance is sometimes viewed as ‘business prevention’, which is a misconception. Compliance teams exist to protect not only the business but also the staff within it. While there is a huge burden of personal responsibility in the roles like the Money Laundering Reporting Officer, a position I have previously held, all staff have a personal duty within this heavily regulated environment. Because of this it is important to ensure that the lines of communications within a business, particularly to/ from the Compliance Department are open and clearly communicated, with all individuals given the proper platform to use their voice and raise items.  

I consider myself lucky that I have worked with highly qualified, competent women who not only led by example to show how women can use their voices even when faced with criticism, but have also been open and frank about their own self-doubts. With these women as guides, I found my own voice and am confident in my decision-making and, perhaps most importantly, in expressing the rationale for those decisions.  

Although I have held management roles previously, it is at Saffery that I have been provided the opportunity to expand into the role to also manage people. While I am still finding my management style, it is important to me that I support my team in finding their voices, just like my previous managers did for me.