SFE YP Learn About Me #4 | Rachel Kennedy

Rachel Kennedy
SFE YP Firm Rep Lead
Events and Relationships Manager at SFE

The SFE Young Professionals’ Learn about Me series aims to highlight the different routes, variety of roles, and experiences of young professionals in the financial services industry. Our next blog is with SFE YP Firm Rep Lead and Events and Relationships Manager at SFE, Rachel Kennedy.

1.       What is your current role?

I am the Events and Relationships Manager at SFE. It is my job to oversee the events programme and ensure we have a diverse range of events for our members that tie into our strategy themes – Journey to Net Zero, Changing Customer Needs, Economic Recovery and Growth, Skills and Inclusion ( + for YP, Mental Health). I also play a large part in organising the Scottish Financial Services Awards which this year, will welcome over 700 colleagues from the professional and financial services industry to Edinburgh in October.

2.       Describe your career journey so far?

My career journey so far has been fairly comprehensive for someone my age. I’ve worked in public sector, education and now private sector. I’ve always worked in events based roles – starting off as an events officer at the convention of Scottish Local Authorities, moving to Fife college and organising a virtual induction for 17,000 students, then to Edinburgh University and working in the Bayes Centre and now, SFE! All of which, whilst completing a MA in Business Management through Heriot Watt Graduate Apprenticeship programme, which I completed in December 2022.

3.       What did you want to be when you grew up?

I never quite new what I wanted to be. I have always had an interest in entrepreneurship and would eventually love to have my own business (no idea what that would be doing!) but I think I just always wanted to be someone who loved their job. My grandad (who worked until he was 72 and only stopped because he had to) always said ‘If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life,” and I believe this to be very true.

4.       What does success in your career mean to you?

Echoing the above here but it’s true – to wake up and look forward to going to work. To enjoy your job. To take pride in the work you do. I do think success is also having a career where you can look back and recognise that set backs make you stronger. We recently had a ‘Breaking the Glass Ceiling’ event where senior leaders shared career journeys and it appeared to me that set backs are really your success stories – they are your real learnings.

5.       Describe yourself in 3 words?

Helpful, Energetic, Go-getter (that’s two!)

6.       What is a common misconception about the industry?

A common misconception about the industry is the socio-economic expectancy which I am really pleased to see financial services as an industry working so hard to bust the myths around. My parents have both worked hard all their lives and neither of them in finance and I can honestly say I never considered a career in finance as I assumed it was considered a career for those good at maths.  I got 4 A’s at higher in my fifth year and no maths qualification and was declined from five universities because of this – I never thought anyone who wasn’t good at maths, could work in finance.. Little did I know SO many different amazing jobs exist in our industry and with the increase in data and tech, the scope of jobs is only going to improve.

7.       What more do you think the industry could do to support young professionals?

I think to support young professionals in our industry and more broadly, young professionals in general we have to encourage story telling. Anecdotal evidence of senior leaders career paths and courses they’ve benefited from, resources they’ve used and difficulties they’ve overcome will arm the next generation. I also think something we do well at SFE is connecting young professionals to senior colleagues. Our events programme is inclusive and most of our events on the platform are open to all members.

Similarly, I also think we could support young professionals by continuing to give them opportunities. At SFE, we’ve offered ‘Board Leadership Sessions’ which allowed young professionals to hear from each member of our board and ask questions and we’ve recently launched with one of our smallest members, a four stage leadership programme for YPs to benefit from. Our YP network is a core focus at SFE and we continue to support them in any way we can.

8.       What is your favourite part of being involved with SFE YP?

For me, it is about working with likeminded individuals across the sector. I love being on the committee and working with peers in different firms and locations. I love attending the events and meeting other young professionals at similar stages in their career journey and I really do love hearing from senior leaders about their career path to date. I also LOVE that we are driving such positive change in the industry under social inclusion, under skills and filling skills gaps and through emerging the next generation with the right skills. Financial services is a really exciting place to be.

9.       What is one thing you are passionate about?

Financial inclusion. We’ve 195 countries in the world and not one of them have reached gender equality. There are more CEOs called Pete in the FTSE companies than there are female CEOs. I am passionate that as the next generation of female leaders come through (in all industries) that we see change and therefore I am delighted to be so heavily involved with the GEN (Gender Equality Network) here at SFE and I am striving to make change at an industry level. I have recently read ‘Girls Just wanna have Funds’ and ‘The Strong Female Lead,’ so if anyone has any other book suggestions, please do let me know!