Tell us a little about yourself?

I am heading into my final semester of my degree, studying a Bachelor of Business majoring in Finance at RMIT University. I am passionate about the foreign exchange market and hope to advance my career in this sector upon graduation.

Who are the women who have inspired you most in your life?

My mother has inspired me most in my life. She instilled values in me from a young age on how to treat people from all different demographics, backgrounds, genders and religions with the outmost respect. I admire and appreciate that she supports me in following my passion and pursuing a career in an industry that I enjoy, as opposed to a job that pays well.

Are there any female leaders you look up to and why?

Kris is definitely a female leader that I look up to not only personally but professionally as well. Through all the adversity in leading a business, she still finds a way to put her team first and lead by example. I admire witnessing her passion towards growing a business and leading a team by dedicating long hours from early mornings to late nights with the same drive and positivity each day.

Do you think it’s important to increase the number of women in business, particularly in leadership roles?

Its absolutely important to increase the number of women in business as I believe currently important decisions are made with an unbalanced approach in our current environment ranging from politics to business. Women have a higher EQ and a more caring personality naturally, which helps organisations make decisions not based on ego or irrational emotions and instead make decisions that are likely to be made with everyone’s best interest in mind, which can increase employee and client satisfaction with a female leader.

What do you think contributes to the lack of females taking the plunge in entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurship is always going to be scary because of the unknown and uncertainty you might face. I believe it could sometimes be intimidating for a female to start a business when it’s in an already male dominated industry but with the support of your loved ones and the confidence you have in yourself, nothing can stop you from achieving success.

What more can be done to support women in male dominated industries?

I believe it all starts from the beginning with the education system as I witnessed in my early years of High School that females were encouraged to choose subjects that were seen as socially acceptable for their gender and to neglect subjects traditionally male dominated. For example, at many all boy schools Food Technology was not an option that boys could take, compared to girl schools where it was compulsory from year 7 to 9.

We need to encourage women to follow their passions from an early age in whatever field they choose and for our education system to support the choices their students make.