Meera joined Parmenion after feeling unsupported in her previous role, when returning to work post-maternity. This is not unusual; a UK study into maternity support revealed that only 18% of women felt supported upon returning to work and 90% said there was no returner support programme[1] .
This is Meera’s story:
“My parents were really my inspiration for a career in investment. My mum, despite being uneducated, is an incredibly bright person – the sort of woman who you could imagine being a CEO in today’s world. She taught me everything about the fundamentals of budgeting and value. As I got older, I became interested in the business-side of my dad’s company and my interest in finance grew. When it came to choosing what I wanted to do at university, it came as no surprise that I picked Economics and International Studies.
What you want as a young person and the realities of graduation don’t always match up however. After finishing my degree and an MSc in International Business Economics, I found myself working in a call centre. That job set the foundations for my investment knowledge, but I knew that I didn’t want to stick there. Perhaps one of my proudest career moments was approaching the CEO to let him know that I had ambition beyond that role. It could have gone very wrong, but he liked my candidness and set me off on my career path in fund management. A criticism that is often heard of women is that they don’t ask for what they want; I’m proof that that isn’t always true.
“I think many first-time mums would agree that having a new baby is tough and striking the balance of that new role and working full-time was really difficult.”
Working in the finance sector as a woman has been really very rewarding for me – I love what I do and have had the opportunity to do it for many years. I did find returning to work after the birth of my first child hard though. I think many first-time mums would agree that having a new baby is tough and striking the balance of that new role and working full-time was really difficult. I lost confidence in myself, as I struggled to juggle both those roles and did find that there was a general lack of support available to make that transition. Leaving that job ended up being the only solution. It was a shame, and my working arrangement at Parmenion proves that it wasn’t necessary really; I have flexibility here that gives me real work/life balance and respects that I am a person with a non-work life.
“The pool of talented women who have left the workforce due to poor flexible working policies is huge and businesses who take advantage of recruiting from this group are giving themselves a real advantage.”
It’s meant a lot to me that Parmenion has supported me. When you’re a mum, you’re also a cook, cleaner and taxi-driver. Some employers hear ‘split focus’ but that isn’t the case. After my second child, I took two years off. I loved that time off with my children, but it gave me a real appreciation for working and I am more committed than ever. The pool of talented women who have left the workforce due to poor flexible working policies is huge and businesses, like Parmenion, who take advantage of recruiting from this group are giving themselves a real advantage.”
[1] MMB, Returning to work, Nov 2018
This article is for financial professionals only. Any information contained within is of a general nature and should not be construed as a form of personal recommendation or financial advice. Nor is the information to be considered an offer or solicitation to deal in any financial instrument or to engage in any investment service or activity. Parmenion accepts no duty of care or liability for loss arising from any person acting, or refraining from acting, as a result of any information contained within this article. All investment carries risk. The value of investments, and the income from them, can go down as well as up and investors may get back less than they put in. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.