Tell us about your day – what gets you out of bed in the morning?
I am the Head of Financial Crime for a credit card company. I am also studying for a PhD in Criminal Justice Studies, looking at the role of insider fraudsters within business.
In my spare time I run STUC (Stammerers Through University Consultancy), an initiative which collaborates with universities nationwide offering better support for students and staff who stammer.
I’m really fascinated by the world of financial crime and how to prevent it. No two days are ever the same because the fraud landscape is continually changing.
How did you get to where you are today?
Employment-wise, I graduated with a French degree from the University of Warwick in 2014 and landed a job at Amazon working as a bilingual fraud investigations specialist. They hired me for my language skills and trained me in fraud detection and prevention on the job. From that point, I was hooked. I subsequently worked in the financial crime sector at Cifas, World First and, currently, Jaja Finance. I also completed a MSc in Counter Fraud & Counter Corruption Studies before starting on my PhD. I wanted to have a combination of both professional and academic background in my line of work.
Allow everyone to be themselves and work in a way that suits them. Your teams will feel more valued and much more loyal
What is the most important lesson you have learned along the way?
I’d say it is that the person I was when I started my first graduate job in 2014 is completely different to who I am now. I used to be shy, naïve, desperate to please and anxious of making the tiniest of mistakes. Now I am so much more confident, much less anxious. I understand that you can’t please everyone and that making mistakes is part of how you learn.
I’ve also learned that whilst having a great manager is invaluable to aid your personal and professional development, having not-so-great managers will teach you just as much.
What’s your pitch to CEOs in the identity space? What would you suggest they START / STOP / CONTINUE doing and why?
Diversity and inclusion should be at the forefront of everything you do, as well as instilling a culture that promotes acceptance and versatility. Trying to mould people to fit a certain type of employee will only deter them and staff turnover will be high. If you allow everyone to be themselves and work in a way that suits them, they will feel more valued and will show loyalty.
In one sentence, why does diversity matter to you?
Diversity is a necessity for the progression, learning and development of both individuals and businesses.
What book/film/piece of art would you recommend to your fellow members and why?
What advice would you give to the teenage ‘you’?
Your stammer doesn’t define your success. One day you’ll decide that you can’t substitute words anymore and that if you stammer, so what? People may not understand it, they may not react in a way you like, but you’ll rise above it and will be able to live the life you want – because you’ll learn that your words are just as important as everyone else’s.
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