Here’s to More Ironwomen in Fintech

- Why I’m doing the Ironman to raise money for more gender equality in fintech and why you should race with me

Brought up by a single mother in Sweden I didn’t know what gender equality was when I was a teenager, it was just a given. That’s the opposite of what we can say about the state of the workforce in the fintech industry today. It dawned on me that as senior executives we not only have the power, but also the responsibility, to do something about that. Here is some background for context, what I plan to do and why you should join me!

Only 5% of leadership positions in tech are held by women

Despite decades of progress towards workplace equality, women remain underrepresented in the technology workforce. According to the think tank WISE less than ¼ of the people working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) roles across the UK are female and only 5% of leadership positions in the industry are held by women. At my own company (divido.com), we are three men and one woman on the executive committee, so a lot of work left to do in my backyard.

The technology gender gap starts at school

A recent survey by PwC among 2,000 A-level and university students found that the gender gap in technology starts at school and carries on through every stage of girls’ and women’s lives. Only 1/3 of women can see themselves working in the technology sector (half as many as among men) and the sector was only the first choice for a disappointing 3% of females. Lack of role models is also apparent, 78% of students can’t name a well known female working in technology.

Teach girls to code as one way to buck the trend

To highlight this issue I’ve decided to do an Ironman and raise money for a charity called https://coderdojo.com/ and their initiative created for girls. They run workshops to inspire girls and young women to learn to code and be creative with technology. Since 2011 they have trained over 60,000 leaders of tomorrow! As if that wasn’t enough, research has also shown that learning to code helps children develop other critical life skills such as communication, creativity, math, writing, and confidence. In addition to my fundraise, I’m also granting all Divido employees a total of 60 extra paid days off if they volunteer their time at a local CoderDojo club this year.

Your invitation to join

To achieve maximum impact I have decided to use this opportunity to challenge other UK fintech CEOs (there are 1,600 of us), our teams (between us we employ 75,000 people), as well as our investors and enterprise clients. The goal is to cross the finish line of the Ironman Cozumel Mexico November 2021, together, and raise £10,000 in the process. You don’t have to commit to doing the full Ironman, any of the Milestone races in the build-up during the year is good enough. This is not about breaking speed records, this is just about crossing the finish line. You have the rest of the year to prepare at your own pace, no pressure.

Introducing Fintech Finishers

When you complete a race you’re a ‘finisher’, so to help us stay focused on the goal I’ve created ‘Fintech Finishers’ which is free to join for those that qualify. Since we are all busy people (this year Divido is going live with some of our largest clients to date, on two different continents and closing a £15m+ Series B) the group will act as your virtual support function assisting our resident Ironman coach, Richard Miller. In addition to recommended races, which will prepare you for an Ironman, membership also gives you access to a LinkedIn group for networking, Strava group to share activities and stay motivated, Slack channel to exchange race prep and charity fundraising advice. We will also organise Carb Loading Dinners the day before each race and carpooling on race day where possible! Over time we will also add ‘Supporters’, organisations which will make related and relevant products and services available to members for free or at a discounted rate.

Apply for membership

Apart from addressing an important issue, this is an excellent excuse to carve out some me-time for your own physical and mental well being this year. Above all, this is an informal networking opportunity; connect and learn from peers, build relationships with future potential investors and clients.

To learn more, apply, sponsor or support, visit:

http://www.fintechfinishers.com/

Christer Holloman
Chairman
Fintech Finishers