What do you do at Coronation and what experience led you to this role?

I have a Bachelor of Business Science (Hons) in Finance and am an Investment Specialist in the Personal Investments team. In terms of my journey to where I am now, I was working for a competitor when I was approached to join the Coronation team.

Grit and inspiration

Where does your resilience come from?

From knowing how much my parents sacrificed for their children and wanting to make them proud. Their resilience in the face of a lot of adversity is ingrained in me. They taught me that it’s okay to fail but to make sure I learned something from every stumble and to understand that it would make me stronger. It did, and also made me more determined to try harder the next time.

Who was a major influence for you growing up?

My mum is probably my biggest influence. She is strong, resilient and always put the needs of her family before her own. She taught me to always believe in myself and never be afraid to try.

Core values

At Coronation, employee ownership is a big part of our culture, what does this mean to you and how does it shape your behaviour/approach?

Ownership means being mindful and accountable. It means treating every day and task with the same sense of responsibility, dedication and vigour as I would if I were running my own business. Ownership breeds a strong motivation to excel but also have respect for every person in the business who is trying to achieve the same outcome.

We are a team-based meritocracy, what does this mean to you? And how does it impact your work experience?

It means that as a business we respect the people we work with and understand that each person has valuable skills and insights that contribute to achieving our common goals.

Within my team, we have the freedom to express our views, even if we sometimes disagree with each other. These views are respectfully debated without it becoming personal, which allows for more robust discussions and better business outcomes. We have a culture of playing the ball and not the man, and we value each other. We understand that while each of us has different personalities and strengths, we are all integral to a stronger and more successful team.

We place high value on integrity in all that we do. What does integrity mean to you, personally and for the business?

Integrity is a guiding principle of being honest. Both personally and professionally it means never compromising my core value system, no matter how attractive the perceived benefit may appear to be. It also means always taking accountability for my mistakes. Acting with integrity ultimately ensures that both the corporate brand and one’s personal brand are always protected.

Mindshift

What do you think needs to change in the mindset of working women?

I think our self-talk needs to be more positive and reinforcing. I also think working women are tougher on themselves than is sometimes needed, often because they are trying to juggle all the responsibilities of the other roles they fulfil as females. A mindset of being able to switch off and be present in our various roles is key to maintaining some level of balance in the life of a working woman.

What advice would you give women entering the workplace now?

I would encourage women to find and use their voices and not be afraid to challenge the status quo or disagree with the stronger or louder voices and opinions. I would encourage them to be strong-minded but flexible. To humbly accept criticism and use every opportunity to learn and improve.

Challenges in the workplace come in different forms and I would advise younger woman to tackle these with a view to not just becoming stronger as an individual, but also to potentially pave a better way for future young entrants.

Perhaps the most important piece of advice is to build your brand. One that shows you are dynamic, have integrity, are prepared to work hard, that you are a team player and that you are committed to your business.