WiFA’s Young Professionals Committee officially relaunched as the Emerging Talent (ET) Network on 22 May, holding their first event on the same day, sponsored by Citi Women’s Network. The event attracted more than 50 attendees from across the financial services industry, including banks, asset management firms and law firms. The amazing panel featured John Watt (Head of Retail Banking in Business Control at Citi), Tonia Wong Kee (HR Generalist (relationship manager) for All of Hong Kong and Regional HR for Risk, Legal & Compliance at BAML), Aga Guzewska-Radzka (Head of Design and Initiation, RBWM at HSBC), and Donna Titley (Principal Consultant, Facilitator and Coach at Illuminate), moderated by our own ET working group member, Dawn Chan (Business Innovation and Growth at Two Sigma).
The event began with a poll, showing a majority of our attendees were already planning their next mobile step, and the panel then discussed the importance of seeking out sponsorship and mentorship to facilitate these goals early on. Also key to mobility is not to just assume, but to have those difficult conversations up front with relevant stakeholders before going too far down the road, only to turn down the offer because of a lack of research or understanding of the inherent risks (costs of living and receiving office culture, for example) in a different location. Our panelists then provided various practical tips to enhance networking and communication skills so to better seize the opportunity of internal mobility. Thank you to our hosts and panelists, and we look forward to the next part of the series!