INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2024 - JESS MCKINLAY - FINANCE DIRECTOR OF PLUS DANE HOUSING
Jess McKinlayWhat inspired you to pursue a career in Finance, and how did you navigate your way to becoming a Finance Director?
It was a happy co-incidence if I’m totally truthful. I’d studied maths at uni and where most people seemed to assume that teaching would be the logical route, I’d decided that definitely wasn’t for me. I temped a bit after graduating, and my husband (who worked in a local hospital at the time) saw a role advertised for a Finance Assistant in the hospital. I was overjoyed to get the job, believing that my lack of experience would go against me. I loved being able to be nosey in all areas of operation in the hospital, using the excuse of ‘getting to know the business’ as a reason to get out and about – while it was a bit self-serving, it did also mean that I got to know the business and quickly built up experience in a number of areas.
I set myself the goal of becoming an FD pretty early on, and simply gained as much experience as I could in areas that interested me before looking for the next diagonally upwards move. I’ve done a fair bit of industry hopping, moving from the NHS to rail to events to MOD and now I’m in social housing, it’s all been part of my strategy to be a decent all-rounder. I’ve also made sure to do things that keep me on the edge of uncomfortable – knowing that I can always ask questions and draw on experiences of those around me to find the right answer and deliver good quality results.
In male-dominated industries like Finance, what challenges have you faced as a woman, and how did you overcome them?
I don’t really feel like I’ve been in male-dominated environments, or at least if I have, the male presence hasn’t been a hindrance. The biggest challenges I’ve had in my career as a woman have come from other women, which can be really disappointing.
In one of my jobs, an opportunity for promotion came up when I was 30 weeks pregnant. I was taken into a room by my female boss and told quite explicitly that the ‘killer question’ on the application form would be about whether or not I’d be there to do the job, and because I was going on maternity leave, it was obvious that I wouldn’t be there. I was dumbfounded. This was the first time in my career that my gender had been an issue. I’d have accepted it more readily if I’d been told that I didn’t have the experience they were looking for, or something non-gender specific, but that I couldn’t be considered because I was having a baby was infuriating. The female HR director also did what she needed to do to protect the organisation and avoid my claim coming to a tribunal, and in all honesty, I’d just been flying to and from Germany on a secondment twice a week and as I reached the final trimester of my pregnancy, I was too tired to pursue anything further. I made sure that I kept in touch with vital contacts while on maternity leave, both in my current job and in my wider network. I kept my head in ‘finance-mode’ so to speak, so that when I came back from maternity 9 months later, I was ready to hit the ground running. I secured a promotion in another organisation and another industry within 3 months of coming back from maternity leave. I found out that I’d got the new job as I was on my way to London to run the marathon on my daughter’s 1st birthday, I was walking (running?) forwards with my head held high and had continued to believe in my own self-worth regardless of the knock it could have taken.
As a Finance Director, what strategies do you employ to promote gender diversity and inclusion within your team or organisation?
I don’t think there’s something that I specifically do to promote gender diversity and inclusion, but I try to promote flexibility as much as possible. In a lot of the press around gender pay gaps and gender disparity in the workplace, there is evidence to suggest that having a family will more often be a blocker in career and pay progression for women more so than men. In a finance career specifically, I believe we’re able to work around the demands of life, and that having a family and all that comes with that shouldn’t be a blocker to career progression for women. I try to set the example, for instance, I cut my maternity leave short for a career opportunity that arose when I was off with my second baby, my son. My husband took 6 months of shared parental leave so that I could take the opportunity, and we were grateful for the support out there for dads to be able to take on shared parental leave. I really want to get to a place where raising a child and spending that first year with them (if not longer?!) is normal for both parents, and if you want to progress your career as a woman, having a family needn’t be a reason to pause it if you don’t want to pause. I also love the advent of agile working, I tell my team to do the school run when they can, to go out for a walk and get some fresh air when they can, to do anything that gives them that moment of mental wellbeing and I think agile working has been a fantastic movement for this wellbeing.
Can you share any significant achievements or milestones in your career that you're particularly proud of, especially as a woman in Finance?
I guess one achievement would be taking on a secondment in another country when I was busy growing my first little human – I was really fortunate to have a good pregnancy, and I could do the travel without problem, but I gained some great experience both professionally and personally from that. I guess my other achievement would be being appointed to the FD role that I have now. If you’d have told me back in 2009 when I started working in finance that I’d be an FD at 35, with a 2 year old and a 5 year old at home, and that I’d be in a really great workplace where I felt like I was making a difference, I don’t think I’d have believed you. People used to say to me “Oh, if you move jobs too much, it’ll look poor on your CV”, and “You’ll be better off getting your experience and working your way up somewhere that’s familiar, you’ll just be going backwards and starting again if you move to that job.” (direct quotes!), and I’m glad I ignored those people and chose my own path.
What advice would you give to other women aspiring to leadership roles in Finance or similar fields?
Don’t get too hung up on your gender as your defining quality. You can still be proud of it, but there are more things that make you an aspiring finance professional and if you feel like your gender is stopping your career progression, maybe you don’t want to progress up that particular finance ladder, there’s another one within reach that will still get you to where you want to go.
How do you balance the demands of your professional career with personal commitments and wellbeing?
Probably quite poorly. Work is really busy at the moment, but sticking to a weekly routine for life in general helps me to get through, also, being clear on the areas of my life that get my energy; work, family, exercise. Exercise is a non-negotiable for me; running and going to the gym keeps me sane and forces me to take that break sometimes that gives me the headspace to find the clarity I need for the task in hand. I plan regular activities with the children so I get my time with them, and I make sure there’s always something in the diary for me and my husband to get some quality time together. If there’s any time or energy left after I’ve prioritised my three key areas of work, family and exercise, then that’s great, but if not, I’m happy that I’ve been able to use my energy and time on the things that are important to me.
In your opinion, what are the key factors contributing to the underrepresentation of women in senior finance positions, and how can organisations address this issue?
I feel like a bit of a broken record on this one, but again, the evidence suggests that women tend to pause or slow down their career when taking breaks to raise families. Firstly, if a woman wants to do that, let’s celebrate it, let’s not make a woman feel of any less value because she’s chosen to do that and as such delays how or when she reaches a senior finance position. This is a choice and whether a women chooses to prioritise her family or her career at that point, it’s the right choice. If a woman wants to reach a lofty finance position, and also wants to have a family, speak to her about the support that can be put in place to help her move at the pace and in the direction she wants to go. These things should be happening already anyway, but there are shared parental leave options, flexible working can be used to make a return to work from a long term break less daunting. I’ve just undertaken some mandatory training on how we help individuals back to the workplace after long term sickness, and why is returning from maternity any different? Ultimately, for women in the workforce now, being a good supportive employer for all should also mean that you’re a good supportive employer for women.
Taking a wider look at female candidates coming through the pipeline, I think we need to be mindful that generational change takes time. It was only maybe 2 generations ago that women would generally not work once they were married and it would be assumed and not necessarily a conscious choice for them to stay home and raise families. We have come a long way! Yay! And for the next few changes to happen for us to feel like any gaps are closing, it will probably be a few more generations yet. I am making sure that I’m setting a progressive example for my daughter, and my son if he’s to perpetuate the ideals we aspire to. Organisations need to keep listening and changing to meet the demands of the next generation of our workforce. Big change happens slowly and with minute movements.
As a leader, what initiatives or policies do you advocate for to create a more equitable and inclusive workplace for women in Finance?
Won’t harp on much more – flexible and agile working!
How do you approach mentorship and sponsorship opportunities for women in your organisation or industry?
If I’m honest, I’ve not had many opportunities. To my shame, I’ve not massively put myself forward for these opportunities mostly because I’ve been working my way up my own career path and it’s been a busy journey and continues to be busy. However, I’m always open for honest conversations and will always share my advice where I can. I’ve been able to pass on some valuable knowledge and experience to several other women navigating working and taking breaks for maternity leave and I like to think that I’ve helped! I have asked 2 inspirational women to be my own mentors in the past, but while each of them said yes at the time, they too have been too busy to really dedicate the time to it. I guess that’s a really stark learning point – how do we create time to add that into our busy schedules?
Looking ahead, what changes or advancements do you hope to see for women in Finance in the future?
If gender equality is something that we’re after, it would be nice to see more advocacy for fathers to take shared parental leave – providing that’s what the family in question wants as their dynamic. Other than that, my experience of working in finance as a woman so far has been positive on the whole. I’ve been able to make it work without too much effort to overcome any perceived barriers, but I’m conscious that my experience is my own and is limited to what I’ve seen. Let’s keep on promoting and highlighting the experiences of successful women, finding the courage to call out those to seek to diminish our capability.