2024 NEFS Women in Finance Conference

Our largest NEFS event so far!

This year, the Nottingham Economics & Finance Society inaugurated its first ever Women in Finance Conference led by the Women in Finance Directors and the Presidential Team! Having recognized, the underrepresentation of Women in Finance, the NEFS Committee took it upon themselves to have a dedicated day for women looking to pursue careers in this highly competitive industry, it was a celebration of great female leaders in finance. The theme of the conference was to ‘Empower and Inspire.’

Over 100 students across a range of universities!

The conference, brand new to this year, was a huge success, and we had over 100 students in attendance, including students from the University of Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Loughborough, and London universities!

The Panels:

Alternative Careers:

Business & Entrepreneurship:

Our first panel was the “Alternative Careers Panel,” wonderfully moderated by Women in Finance Directors, Soraya Johal and Amber Elliott. We heard from Sukhi Johal, Executive Director at U.K. Government Investments, Lisa Ardley - Price, Global Co - Chair of NatWest's Gender Network, and Hina Desai, Private Client Partner at Mazars. We had insightful questions from the audience and discussed challenges within the industry.

We then had the Business & Entrepreneurship Panel where we were joined by Izzy Holder, Founder & CEO of FITTLE Sports, Andrea Ward, Managing Director of Financial Edge, and Amy Brereton, Chief Operations Officer of Enactus U.K. & Ireland. The session was well moderated by Directors, Aaliyah Patel and Aafreen Nizam. We discussed the challenges that come with finding fundraising, growth, and expansion in business. This was great insight for students looking to one day set up their own business!

Corporate Finance:

Our final panel of the day was the Corporate Finance Panel. We hosted Jaanaki Dhokia, Associate at J.P. Morgan, Claire McIlveny, Corporate Broker at BNP Paribas, and Disha Sarawgi, Vice President at Deutsche Bank. The panel was moderated by NEFS President, Mayo Adetujoye and Vice-President, Holly Harding. We received great advice and tips for success in this area of finance, as well as good qualities to look for in a mentor. It was a great way to end the panelist sessions!