This year, Mortgage Solutions has spoken to women across the financial services sector to mark International Women’s Week (3-9 March), which includes International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March.
The theme of this year’s campaign is Accelerate Action, meaning as well as celebrating the achievements of women and advocating for progress with issues that affect women, there is also a focus on how to speed up the rate of change and work towards a more inclusive, equal society.
Tanya Elmaz, director of intermediary sales at Together, discusses this further.
Who are you and where do you work?
My name is Tanya Elmaz and I am the director of intermediary sales at Together, leading the company’s team in supporting our broker partners.
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How long have you been working in the sector?
25 years.
Have you always worked in financial services?
No, I didn’t start work in the finance sector. My first job was in sales in a call centre, where resilience, quick thinking and never taking ‘no’ personally were part of the daily grind.
Then came the switch to a bank, which was Bradford and Bingley. This gave me the chance to grow and prove skills are transferable. I began my career as a BDM covering Central and Greater London, holding roles in management and sales at Bradford and Bingley over a nine-year period.
I initially joined Together as BDM for London and have spent the last decade working towards the position I am in now.
When did you realise financial services would be a career for you?
I don’t think there was a single light bulb moment. I had already been working for about 10 years, running call centres for home improvements, but then I moved to a bank and haven’t looked back since.
It was at the bank that I realised financial services wasn’t just about selling products – it was about problem-solving, building relationships and making a real impact on people’s lives and property ambitions.
Do you feel like you worked harder than your male counterparts to get where you are?
According to research and anecdotal evidence, women often feel they need to work harder than their male counterparts. Some of this is due to women’s perceptions of needing to prove themselves and some of this is due to unconscious bias in the workplace.
However, I think individual experiences vary, and I feel the same level of recognition and career advancement is not always equal or equitable. I know from personal experience that women often need to work harder to achieve the same outcomes, and this is something that needs to change.
In what ways do you try to support women already in the sector or those wanting to join?
At Together, I focus on providing training around specific skills for the finance sector and coaching, especially on hot topics specifically to support women, like building your personal brand or dealing with imposter syndrome. We engage with an external training company for these programmes, and the sessions involve a combination of group and one-to-one training.
We are also about to host our third Women in Finance event, where we continue our commitment to educating women across the industry and opening up awareness of specific topics. We aim to build on these events every year, equipping women with the tools they need to succeed in the workplace.
Beyond our sector, I like to act as a role model for women pursuing their ambitions. I try to offer formal and informal mentoring to them, which is crucial for building confidence. I attend events wherever I can, meeting other women in similar positions and offering my own insights and experiences.
The theme of IWD this year is ‘Accelerate Action’, highlighting that there is still a long way to go until we reach genuine gender parity. Do you feel like the financial services sector is progressing at a satisfactory pace?
The financial services sector is certainly making progress, but it’s not yet enough. It’s true that there are more women in leadership roles than there were a decade ago, and initiatives like the Women in Finance Charter have encouraged firms to set diversity targets, but we still have a way to go.
Women, particularly those in senior positions, are still severely underrepresented and the gender pay gap remains a serious issue.
What more can be done?
Firstly, we need to see more firms making a conscious effort to create an inclusive work culture; one that outlines clear actions to combat unconscious bias. We need stronger accountability; for example, executive bonuses linked to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) to ensure true commitment to such initiatives.
There needs to be more representation at the top – the industry requires more women at board level – not just to score diversity points but to encourage a wider range of skills and opinions that can lead to better outcomes for companies. Organisations should offer flexible career pathways to women, with better return to work schemes and improved mentorship.
Crucially, firms need to understand the importance of the next generation. There needs to be a large focus on attracting the young women of the future; we must nurture and develop them to achieve their goals.
When it comes to gender equality, where do you think financial services has done well?
While the pace of change is still far too slow, there have been efforts made. The Women in Finance Charter shows strong commitment, and more companies across the industry are implementing positive DE&I policies.
There has been an increase in the number of women in leadership roles; at Together, we now have three women in our C-suite, so change is definitely happening. In addition, mandatory gap reporting has helped in identifying where there are issues, giving companies the insights they need to address them.
The increase in events to cover the topic ‘women in finance’, like our upcoming one in March, have done an excellent job in raising awareness and bringing women together. This increased focus encourages change; we are definitely seeing this in the industry, but much more needs to be done.
