Tell us about your job and its role within the organisation. What are the main highlights of your activity over the year?

Since 2018, I have been a Certified Manager in charge of Risk Management and Fund Administration and also Head of the Asset Servicing team within CA Indosuez Wealth (Asset Management). I started my career in Risk Management. Historically, it has been a male-dominated activity, which is still the case. Women candidates for a position in Risk Management are still largely in the minority. But more generally, Asset Management is a fairly mixed environment: this is the case for the Asset Servicing team and for CA Indosuez Wealth (Asset Management) as a whole.
The diversity and richness of the projects we have to deal with do not introduce any particular seasonality in the management of my assignments. The rhythm is set by the high points in the implementation of projects, from structuring to the actual launch of an investment fund, for example, and at the same time by the regulatory time.

 

What is your career path? How have you managed the different developments in your career?

After obtaining an MSc in Market Finance, I started my career in 2011 at CA Indosuez Wealth (Europe)’s Discretionary Management department as Risk Officer. In 2014, I was given a great opportunity to take part in the creation of CA Indosuez Wealth (Asset Management) as Head of Risk Management. As the company developed, my position evolved. I first joined the Management Committee and then took on broader responsibilities as head of the "Asset Servicing" division, which combines the functions of Fund Administration, supervision of delegations, monitoring of commissions & fund assets and finally Risk Management. These career developments have been possible thanks to the support of my managers, who believed in me, pushed me to evolve and advised me when I encountered difficulties.

 

Was being a woman an asset or handicap in your career? How do you manage your personal and professional life?

As a woman, I have not encountered any barriers per se. The difficulties or milestones I have had to overcome in my career are only related to the specifics of the job and are not gender-related. Being a woman has therefore been neither an advantage nor a disadvantage, and I have never seen it that way. My managers and colleagues never made me feel that being a woman had any impact on my job.

 

How would you analyse the company's evolution in terms of gender diversity? In concrete terms, what initiatives do you and your teams take on a daily basis to make progress in the area of gender diversity?

I have a very positive feeling about gender diversity within the asset management company, especially because gender isn’t among career progression or recruitment critera. In my teams, I do not hire an employee rather than another according to gender or to achieve parity, but solely on the basis of their skills. However, I have observed that in certain functions such as Risk Management, we have an overwhelming majority of male applicants, which therefore creates a bias in recruitment and contributes to maintaining the current trend.

 

What advice would you give to the younger generation?

Promoting gender diversity does not mean positive discrimination by seeking a balance between men and women at all costs. This mix can come naturally by giving importance to the skills and value of each person in a team, both at the time of recruitment and during appraisals and development choices. It is important that a woman is not disadvantaged by her female status and the prejudices attached to it, but conversely, a man should not be discriminated against in the name of gender equality. I encourage women to believe in their skills and apply for the jobs that interest them, even if the work environment is perceived as rather male.