Jenji Talks Women in Finance Podcast: Season 1 Takeaways
Inspiration can come from so many sources. As professionals in the Fintech space, we love to hear from other people who have been successful in the field. What’s their story? How did they get to where they are today?
Through Jenji Talks, we can have these conversations. We interview experts and leaders in the Fintech, Finance, and B2B SaaS industries to learn their stories and be challenged to grow.
The Jenji Talks Women in Finance podcast features women who have broken through barriers with confidence and determination.
They’re the women we want to be around!
Here are the key takeaways from Season 1 of Jenji Talks Women in Finance Podcast. We’d love for you to go back and have a listen to each episode—be inspired to grow and accelerate your career as a woman in finance.
What is Jenji Talks?
Jenji Talks is designed as a platform for conversations around humanity in the workplace—how people make the difference in SaaS, Fintech, and Finance. We have the potential to positively change the world, and Jenji Talks explores how current leaders and experts are doing just that.
We interview a wide variety of professionals to hear their stories and learn from their experiences. The Jenji Talks Women in Finance podcast is dedicated to hearing from women who have succeeded in the finance field through determination and confidence.
Our goal is to both educate and inspire, supporting the current and future generation of women in tech and finance to make it a better, more positive place.
Lessons from Season 1 of Jenji Talks Women in Finance
There’s no way we can cover all the inspiring advice and stories our guests shared, so these are just the highlights. What you’ll see, though, are a few important themes that emerge:
- The importance of believing in yourself and your abilities to excel in your career.
- Supporting other people is the key to success.
- The workplace has changed, but women in tech and finance still have unique struggles—there’s more work to do.
Here are the key takeaways from each of our season 1 guests on the Jenji Talks Women in Finance podcast:
1. Be Strong and Dare
Episode 1 with Muriel Avignon, VP Finance, Dataiku
In the first episode, Muriel Avignon shares the importance of learning to dare in your career. This means taking risks and not being afraid to go after what you want. Speaking up and advocating for yourself is an essential skill to learn and succeed as women in tech and finance.
2. Helping Others Contributes to Women’s Success
Episode 2 with Nadine Pichelot, VP Finance Europe, Anaplan
Nadine brought her 30 years of experience in finance, HR, and operational leadership to this conversation. One key lesson from our conversation together was that helping others is key for success. Women in tech and finance need to lift each other up and support one another along the journey.
3. Diversity is Key
Episode 3 with Margaux Gregoir, VP Finance, Luko
Margaux makes a strong case for diversity in this episode of Jenji Talks. There are less women than men in finance and, therefore, less diversity of thought and ideas. More diversity creates better outcomes and increased innovation. It’s time to start building more diverse leadership teams and hiring more women in finance.
4. Recruit on Potential, not Background
Episode 4 with Olfa Zorgati, CFO & EVP Operations, ESI Group
Olfa’s 15+ years of experience show that while things are changing, finance is still a very gendered industry. Most jobs in finance were created for men who don’t have the same challenges of motherhood and childrearing that many women do.
For this reason, women often don’t have the same qualifications as their male counterparts and should be evaluated on their potential and skills, not formal metrics.
5. Focus on the Human Factor
Episode 5 with Pauline Sauvage, On-demand CFO & Advisor, Novisto
Pauline’s work as an advisor and on-demand CFO has taught her a lot about aligning your values with work. Building teams can be challenging, especially when it’s on a short-term basis. This is why Pauline is convinced that empowering and motivating people—focusing on the human factor—is the most important way to find success.
6. Trust Yourself to Build Success
Episode 6 with Claire Somer, Finance Director, Upflow
Like most women in finance, Claire works on a predominantly male team. Through this experience, she’s learned how to stand up with self-confidence as a woman in finance. It’s important that all women in finance trust their abilities and skills, not let other people put doubt in you about your worth.
7. Know Your Worth and Fight for It
Episode 7 with Elodie Hadjidakis, CFO, Habiteo
Most people and most women in finance will encounter imposter syndrome throughout their careers. So many of us have the voice in our brains that says, “you can’t do this.” It’s up to each person, though, to fight against the voice and know your worth. Elodie encourages all women in finance to use imposter syndrome to stay humble, fuel their growth, and keep pursuing opportunities.
8. Find Inner Balance
Episode 8 with Katharina Herzog, Senior VP Group Finance & Tax, Hugo Boss AG
So many women in tech and finance believe that having a successful career means giving up your personal life. But Katharina is here to prove that wrong! Instead of having to give up what’s important to you, women in finance need to pursue inner balance to achieve personal and professional goals. Anyone who’s worried they “can’t have it all” will be inspired by Katharina’s story.
Follow Jenji Talks
We had some amazing guests on season one who taught us many valuable lessons. If you want to go and listen to all of them, or catch new episodes next season, make sure you’re following Jenji Talks on these platforms:
After you listen, let us know: what were your big takeaways? We hope that Jenji Talks both inspires and educates the next generation of women in finance. We’re here to support each other and help women in tech and finance grow into their best potential.