How Female Athletes are Breaking Barriers & Finding Success in Finance

Here at add-victor, we met with three former candidates, Christine Pedersen, Marija Mirkovic and Sophie Newton to discuss their experience as women in the financial sector, life since professional sport and their advice on transitioning into a corporate career.

Whilst many athletes may be fearful of starting an office job, worried that their day will look too different, these two environments prove to be very similar. Indeed, both demand consistent, high-level performance and the ability to think on your feet. Many years of intense training and incredible mental perseverance make athletes highly desirable in the world of finance and increasingly, female athletes. In fact, NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) estimates that by 2030, two-thirds of the world’s wealth will be controlled by women. Additionally, the transition from sports can be seamlessly managed through available part-time roles, presenting a mutually beneficial arrangement for both employers and athletes, as illustrated by Sophie's example - the netballer super star balancing the court and the boardroom at Santander.   

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MARIJA MIRKOVIC: From tennis to Global Markets at Citibank, London

Marija, a former Australian professional tennis player, was placed at Citibank by add-victor nearly six years ago. Since then, she has gone from strength to strength and is currently a Vice President at the bank, working in G10 Rates Sales. As with professional sport, working in markets is very dynamic. The fast-paced element of the job is what excites Marija and after a physically demanding tennis career, it was a perfect way to keep her on her toes.

“In the six years that I have been in the job, I still feel like I am learning something new every day and the market is constantly evolving. No two days are ever the same”

BEING A WOMAN AT CITIBANK -  Whilst there are still significantly less female traders than men, Marija has seen a lot of improvement in gender diversity over her time at Citi. In some of her teams the split has been equal and she maintains that there is space for women in the industry. “Women are high achievers; they want to strive to be the best in their profession and I think banks are welcoming to that”

SEEING TENNIS FROM THE SIDELINES: How Marija’s time as a tennis coach implements her life and career now

While studying at the University of Melbourne, Marija also became a tennis coach. Seeing tennis through a coach’s eyes gave her a new perspective, equipping her with a different set of analytical skills. As Marija remarked: “Coaching has helped me reflect a lot better when analysing a situation. I can step to the side and look at it a different light, then come to a solution.”

Marija works with juniors and analysts who require guidance. Her time coaching helped build on these skills, which are fundamental to business growth, given these employees make up the majority of the workforce.

“I learnt to pick myself up after being knocked down”:  MARIJA’S TOP TIPS AND HOW SPORT FACILITATED HER CAREER TRANSITION

Every week Marija would play in a tournament of 64 players and so, every week, 63 competitors would lose. Therefore, Marija learnt how to pick herself up after a loss, how to keep going, keep persisting. In much the same way, finance is a highly competitive environment where you won’t always have the answer and will often face criticism. Tennis taught Marija to take setbacks in her stride, to persevere.

If Marija could give one piece of advice to her younger self, or to other young athletes, it would be to enjoy the ride and not be so hard on yourself...

“As a driven individual, you always chase the next progression or the next stepping stone. Sometimes you forget to actually stop and enjoy the moment. I have been lucky to work with many wonderful teammates and fascinating clients and colleagues. It’s the people around me who have helped me grow.”

  

CHRISTINE PEDERSEN ON WORKING IN THE DEEP END: Leaving the pool and jumping into the waters of banking

Christine Pedersen started swimming at the age of two and moved to Norway to compete at the age of fifteen. After finishing high school, she had been the Norwegian champion multiple times and wanted to be exposed to a higher competitive level. Christine was granted a full scholarship from The University of Connecticut and competed for their college team throughout her four-year degree. Through add-victor, in 2018, Christine landed her first job in corporate banking for Santander. She left her job as the Director of Real Estate Finance in April 2022, went travelling, and at present, works for a Private Equity House.

“I saw that finance was a place for a competitive mind to flourish, a place where I could measure performance like I was used to in sport”

WHY REAL ESTATE FINANCE? Although this tangible asset class is relatively easy to comprehend and well-tested, Christine finds it exciting. Real Estate will always be impacted by the wider macroeconomic environment. So, Christine has to keep a close eye on the markets, how they are performing, and what consensus forecasts predict. During her five years in the industry, Christine has already seen several dramatic changes in the market, which keeps her job interesting.

HER ADVICE TO WOMEN TRANSITIONING FROM SPORT TO FINANCE

• Accepting criticism: "I am able to invite criticism and take it as a compliment when someone wants to help me improve. When you meet obstacles you know they are just a step on the way."
• Networking:  "Take every opportunity you get through networking. I flew into London from Copenhagen every time I had a chance to go to networking events."
• Accountability: “I hold myself accountable for the effort I have put in; so I always want to make sure that I do my best."
• Self Belief: “Two of the most important things that you have to do in life: believe in yourself and know that you are a strong candidate among so many others. Even as you learn to walk away from your identity as an athlete and then going to see yourself as a career person or professional, keep that confidence in yourself and your ability.”

BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: Christine’s role in promoting environmental responsibility in finance

During her career at Santander, Christine volunteered to be a sustainability champion. In this way, she was able to understand new regulations and played an active role in the bank’s approach to the ever-changing, increasingly problematic issue of climate change. Christine made sure to put herself in positions where she could engage in topical conversations.

“We are all going to be impacted by climate change and the sooner the market recognises the risks, the sooner we will make the necessary changes.”

WORKING IN A MALE DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT

Christine believes that her past as a professional athlete has positively contributed to how she works in an (often) male-dominated industry. As a swimmer, she would pratice alongside men and although they didn’t compete against eachother, swimming helped her work in a diverse team. In most of Christine’s jobs, women have been the minority. That said, her male colleagues and managers have always been incredibly supportive and she maintains that they have never doubted her competence or her ability to rise to the occasion when faced with new challenges: “My male colleagues treat me as equal and want to see me succeed.”

HOW CAN FINANCE LEAD THE WAY TOWARDS GENDER EQUALITY?

Christine believes in the importance of strong maternity and paternity schemes for attaining gender equality. Today many young women feel like they have to choose between building a career or starting a family. Unless a young woman feels supported during and after her maternity leave, her career is at risk of being compromised.

 

SOPHIE NEWTON: A former England hockey player now working in Prime Finance at Citibank, London

Sophie Newton was a Premiership and an Age-Group International player. In 2018, she was placed by add-victor as a Global Markets Intern at Citi and in August 2019, she joined their Graduate Scheme as a Global Markets Analyst. Sophie is currently working in Prime Brokerage, dealing with Hedge-Fund clients. In her role, Sophie is a Relationship Manager, she works with a number of clients and is the key escalation contact for all her accounts. Sophie has to co-ordinate with multiple teams to resolve issues quickly and ensure a premium client experience. As well as this, she works to maintain and drive business growth with existing clients.

WHY PRIME BROKERAGE?

Like hockey, Prime Brokerage is a team game and that is what drew Sophie to the department. “My team is fantastic – it is a great environment to be in, we all work together and have each other’s backs. Over the last three years I have learnt so much, I have had to be really proactive with my learning; dealing with many high-pressure situations and always multitasking.” The client aspect of the role is what Sophie enjoys the most. It is all about communicating, providing the best service and continuing to grow the business. “It is an exciting seat to sit in”

THE CHALLENGES OF FINANCE AND HOW TO TACKLE THEM

"In a fast pace, high pressured environment like finance, sport taught me to stay calm and ensured that I could solve problems quickly and efficiently"

Of course, Finance comes with its challenges, especially because Sophie joined the company at the start of the Covid-19 outbreak. For Sophie, it all comes down to communication. She recommends using all platforms and resources available to understand the business to the best of your capability. She has learnt to be open and honest about her level of knowledge given that she came into a team where all her other colleagues were already experienced. In fact, Sophie was one of the first graduates to join such a team with little knowledge of the industry. In such an ever-changing, dynamic environment you must be adaptable and prepared. However, you won’t always have the solution, so Sophie recommends growing your network; you never know when you are going to need someone.

"Be inquisitive, put yourself forward, take note of everything. Follow up on things you don’t understand. Be engaging, proactive and self-sufficient"

WORK LIFE BALANCE is extremely important to Sophie and although hockey is her background in sport, she has recently been taking part in triathlons. Sophie trains weekly and believes that sport continues to keep her concentrated and level-headed in the office. Sophie is lucky to have hybrid working hours, meaning she has flexibility and can work at home a few days a week. Starting at 8am and finishing at 6pm fairly consistently, Sophie feels she has balance and can maintain her wellbeing outside the office.

 

ROLE MODELS: WHO DO THESE THREE WOMEN LOOK UP TO?

 

• MARIJA MIRKOVIC: Marija’s biggest influence in her life is her mother, from a young age she was her role model and set the example of how hard work and persistence are the most important elements of success. Marija’s mother started a medical career for the second time in her forties after fleeing to Australia from the war in the Balkans (1990s). She didn’t speak any English at the time and had two young children all the while retraining as a doctor. “I owe much of my own success to the example she set to my sister and I growing up. She certainly knows how not to take no for an answer and I am still inspired by her every day”

• SOPHIE NEWTON: Sophie is inspired by many people she works with, in particular a woman she met during the first rotation on her graduate scheme. She had recently been promoted to the Global Head of a unit in Prime Finance and is now Sophie’s mentor. “She is amazing, the way she navigates the bank and the immense network she has”. Sophie is also spurred on by all her friends.

• CHRISTINE PEDERSEN: Christine’s female friends are her role models. Christine feels lucky to have a diverse group of friends who all work in very different industries. “Watching them succeed in their careers gives me a lot of joy and inspiration. I love the environment we have created as a group. We share experiences from our professional lives, the mistakes we have made and things we’ve learnt. We help each other grow.”

 

 Christina Elliott