To coincide with International Women’s Day next week, we’re showcasing some of the talented females at FIIG that work behind the scenes to make the vision a reality. I caught up with two female colleagues to find out what attracted them to the fixed income space and what International Women’s Day means to them.
Background
As the saying goes, many hands make light work, and there are many different teams at FIIG that make everything work seamlessly. From Legal and Compliance to Finance, there are important functions that remain behind the scenes, mostly unbeknown to our customers. Well, that is until now.
Brittany Williamson is a part of FIIG’s Legal and Compliance team, while Jennifer Murray works within FIIG’s Finance team. While the fixed income world might not be a likely place for a lawyer and accountant- they’re crucial in making the cogs turn.
Working at FIIG
Brittany has worked at FIIG for about four years now as Legal Counsel and admits that it’s her risk adverse nature that attracted her to the fixed income asset class. “I appreciate the relative security [that] fixed income provides to investors compared to equities,” she tells me. She adds it’s an asset class that provides capital preservation and allows investors to “diversify their investments and manage risk to support their objectives and life goals.”
While Jennifer believes it’s the variety and flexibility of the fixed income product offering that makes it appealing. She also enjoys the fast pace of the financial services industry, which allows her skillset to evolve and seek out new and improved processes at FIIG.
Jennifer is our second longest serving female, and at over 8 years at FIIG, her busy role as Finance Manager involves managing the day-to-day duties of her team, as well as being involved in the annual financial statement preparation, financial audit processes and the budgeting and forecasting.
She holds a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Accounting and Finance and has completed her Chartered Accountancy following this. Jennifer has also been the well-deserving recipient of the CEO Award at FIIG in the past.
It’s that ever-evolving nature of Brittany’s work that she most enjoys too, as she tells me, “No day is the same and I never know what to expect!”. Her workload involves dealing with contracts and agreements, implementing regulatory changes, training staff internally and assisting with the trade process where required.
Brittany completed a Bachelor of Law degree with Honours, as well as also completing a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Brittany also brings her social conscience to the role, assisting with the co-ordination of the Brisbane offices’ Christmas toy fundraiser in December for those children less fortunate.
Brittany has also organised the FIIG-wide International Women’s Day event for 2023 in recognition of the need to acknowledge and promote women in the financial services industry. Added to all this, Brittany is a mum to her 2-year daughter Zoe.
FIIG’s capabilities
The two women list the many new products and projects they’ve been a part of since joining FIIG. These have included the introduction of FIIG’s Foreign Currency Service as well as Small Parcel Trading, to name a few, which has expanded the opportunities on offer for clients.
Both remain tight-lipped about a new project they’ve been busy working on that is due out later this year. We will have to watch this space.
They believe FIIG’s biggest strength is its tenure and position as a leader in the fixed income market, as Jennifer is quick to point out that FIIG is approaching its 25-year milestone later this year. Brittany adds that the knowledge of bonds within the organisation is extraordinary.
FIIG is independent and not aligned with other financial companies, which Jennifer says works to our client’s advantage. “We are not bound by the limitations of financial institutions, which allows us to provide a more diverse range of products,” she says.
She also tells me that FIIG undertakes regular independent audits to ensure the controls are being adhered to and are held to an international standard. “This provides clients with peace of mind,” Jennifer says.
Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender equal future
International Women’s Day is a global event that’s held annually on March 8 to bring attention to issues that impact women, such as gender equality and violence against women. The United Nation’s theme for the day this year is Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender equal future.
Brittany tells me that as a working mum, she’s grateful for the flexibility and understanding she receives as she juggles both work and family. For her the theme this year means supporting family, carer and personal responsibilities of men and women equally, recognising the roles we all play at work and at home.
When Jennifer considers the theme for this year, she says it’s about providing individuals with what they need to be successful, regardless of gender, race, or background. “It’s about providing the best opportunities to succeed”, she says.