Women in tech: Stashaway’s Nandini Joshi

2021 was a year of two halves; people either accepted or rejected the changes that Covid-19 pushed on them last year. Nevertheless, it was also a year that saw some major changes in the fintech industry, and we also saw the continued rise of the female leader.

Overall, in the digital wealth management industry, we have seen more people join the investing world, which is fantastic, and interestingly we saw an increase in financial literacy and investing literacy. I was especially thrilled to see our women clientele grow; this year, 50 per cent of our new clients were women, and I predict that this number will continue to grow through 2022.

As a company, we saw huge growth in the past year. There was a rising demand for robo advisors in many markets. StashAway went from operating in two countries to five, and we welcomed over 60 new team members, with the total global workforce now comprising 42 per cent women and 58 per cent men. Personally, it’s been really rewarding to see our product and teams succeed and thrive through a lot of hard work. As we look forward to the new year, we are committed to reaching out to more people and empowering their life goals through investing.

With the growth in fintech, there has also been a surge to get women seats in the boardroom and higher leadership positions. For any industry in these modern times, having women leaders is a must, especially in the tech-sphere, and it should be demonstrated from the top that women have a seat at the table and can fulfil and excel in these roles. Every woman wants to know that she belongs in the company and industry. If the C-suite is only men, it doesn’t show young women the path to success – why would aspiring women want to waste their talent and years on you if there is no ladder to climb.

While women in leadership can face many challenges, especially when they reach the top, there are ways of overcoming them. For starters, personality traits that are seen as positives in men can at times work against us.

In my early career, getting the opportunity to be trusted with new challenges was tough. However, I have continually gained from working on my ‘emotional intelligence’ (EQ) capacity with the help of others around me, including women and men. This has helped me assess situations, people, emotions, and then (every time) have a strategy to overcome them, whether through pointed communication or ideas. For example, I learned not to see the path to success by mimicking the behaviours of successful men around me but to stay true to my style while listening carefully, analysing and being empathetic.

For any woman aspiring to be a leader or entrepreneur, I would advise them to lead with EQ and prioritise it as much as the ‘intelligence quotient’ (IQ). This will help you stay true to your personality and bring out your most unique self. Then pay it forward, the road is long, and you never know what paths might meet.