Verona Kenny: “We’ve still got a long way to go before it’s 50/50”

The acclaimed financial adviser discusses thriving in a male-dominated industry, sexism in the workplace and the technology shaping client engagement.

“Humbling” is how Verona Kenny of Seven Investment Management described her evening at the Women in Financial Advice Awards.

Crowned Woman of the Year (Platforms) at October’s ceremony in London, she was most thankful for the chance to share a room with such esteemed company.

As she explains, “I was up against so many fantastic other women. I looked at the nominee list and thought I don’t have a hope because there were such strong contenders there.”

So accustomed to life in a male-dominated workplace, the change of scenery was particularly welcome.

“When you work in an environment where nine times out of ten you’re the only women and everyone else is male, nights like this are special,” she reflects. “It is nice to be able to see that society is changing and women are being recognised.”

Having started her career in her native Australia before making the move to the UK, Verona is well-placed to comment on inequality in the workplace both here and at home.

“I used to think that the Australian working environment was very sexist but then I came to London and realised it’s a whole new game.”

Asked to elaborate on how the two environments differ, she notes, “I think Australians are much more inclined to say things to your face and to crack sexist jokes.”

She clarifies, “I’ve never let it hold me back but that’s because I’ve always just told myself to get the job done, whether people see me as a woman first or not.”

When it comes to the world of financial planning, Verona is acutely aware that her industry has a long way to go before it reaches gender parity. That said, she’s pleased to see certain companies actively championing and recruiting women.

“There are some fantastic companies out there encouraging women to come into financial planning,” she notes. “The way Mazur Financial Planning has gone about getting more women into financial planning has been absolutely brilliant, they really standout and have been doing exceptionally well.”

Verona reveals that she only intended to visit the UK for a holiday after a spell teaching English in South America. Friends convinced her to stay for six months and 15 years later she’s still here and winning awards.

“When I arrived in the UK, supermarkets here were just starting to get going with wrap accounts and I just fell into it,” she explains. “There wasn’t a grand plan, it just happened.”

Much has changed since the mid-noughties, both here and down under, but it’s the rise of technology in the financial services industry that Verona highlights as being the big game-changer.

“Things have moved so quickly,” she says. “Even five or ten years ago you’d never have dreamt of the things you can now do with your phone. Nowadays, if you’re not doing it on your phone, you’re probably not doing it at all.”

While some in her line of work have been cautious about the rise of fintech, Verona is eager to embrace the new dawn, particularly when it comes to working with clients.

As she explains: “I think that the most important role for technology is around client engagement. We do everything on our phones, it’s the way to get people engaged. Whether socially by sharing photos or booking plane tickets, everyone turns to an app or the web. That’s what the new technology does best, it gets people engaged.”

While few necessarily understand the granular detail behind the technology driving new apps and smartphone, something Verona herself admits, she says the potential is still obvious. “At the end of the day most people don’t understand how any of that stuff on their phone works. I have no idea how Facebook or Instagram works and I don’t really care. All I care about is knowing that if I open the app, I see what I want to see.”

When asked what words of advice she’d give to women starting out in the world of financial advice, she hammers home the message that gender is not important.

“Just be yourself, don’t define yourself as a woman, it’s about being the best you can be.”

As for taking inspiration from her peers, Verona immediately recounts a recent encounter with Baroness Sally Greengross, OBE — a member of the House of Lords since 2010.

“She’s 83-years-old and just amazing,” she beams. “I’d seen her talk before and this morning we chatted about financial planning. You realise talking to her that when people enter retirement, what’s so important is ensuring they can still have a life locally.

Verona concludes, “I’m very lucky that I meet lots of inspiring women but when I meet people like that, I’m like, ‘wow’. It’s the ones that get stuff done that impress me most.”