CULTURE OF DIVERSITY ENCOURAGES MORE WOMEN IN FINTECH

Shivani Siroya, CEO and founder of international digital lender Tala, fervently believes that all individuals “have the same potential, just not the same access.”

As such, Tala seeks to uplift the lives of its women customers and shape the fintech industry as it closes the gender gap in job positions and compensation packages.

Greater financial independence equates to an increase in self-confidence among 80 percent of women borrowers, based on Tala’s Impact Report for 2022.

More than three in four or 78 percent of these borrowers reveal an increase in respect their household, while 70 percent of these women report a growth in influence on household decision-making because of Tala. These women’s partnership with Tala resulted in 56 percent of them having more financial independence; 53 percent of them can now afford household expenses; and 15 percent can now pay for education.

For Tala’s women executives and employees, the company helps in shaping the landscape of the traditionally male-dominated fintech industry. Tala Philippines senior director for people Katherine Antunez described the “purposefully diverse” workplace that they have built, “Tala is focused on creating and following objective, fair and equitable processes within the company. We aspire to foster an equal and inclusive workplace [where] every contribution is appreciated and valued.”

At Tala, half of the company’s leadership team consist of women.

In addition to providing its talent pool with equal opportunities, the management has put in place benefits that can help women maintain a sense of work-life balance. These include being able to manage their own work calendars and enjoying personal time off on top of maternity leave and unexpected life event days off covering emergency and bereavement leave. These policies and perks are implemented across Tala’s offices in the United States, Kenya, Philippines, Mexico and India.

Support groups

Beyond professional fulfillment, Tala’s women employees are supported with learning opportunities and engagement activities to aid them in their development not just as employees but in fulfilling their various roles outside the workplace. On a regular basis, experts are invited to conduct “lunch and learn” sessions that cover topics ranging from work-life balance and wellness to parenting and fostering ambition. Several employee resource groups such as Women@Tala, Parents@Tala and Mom’s@ Tala have been put together to help employees connect, share experiences and provide feedback to the company on what else the management can do to help make it the preferred place for working women.

According to senior vice president of people Punam Brahmbhatt, these groups create an engaged and consultative environment for employees. “My mentors and managers at Tala help me to build my confidence and taught me to explore opportunities. I also give my team a chance to grow.”

Tala senior vice president of brand and communications Lauren Pruneski spoke on the impact of being surrounded with women leaders, “The diversity of role models helped me develop my own voice and gave me the courage to take big strides in my career.”

Tala continues to fulfill its mission of inclusion by encouraging more women to thrive in the organization, among the people Tala serves and as it contributes to bridging the gender gap in the fintech industry. “Tala is at the forefront of breaking molds and biases by letting women lead and serve our markets that have not always received a lot of attention and innovation,” Tala chief financial officer Jen Loo said about the company’s role in helping women manage their finances.

For Tala chief technology officer Kelly Uphoff, exposure to a multitude of leadership types and teams can help in reducing stereotypes among women leaders in fintech. “Representation begets further representation. Biases are slowly diminished as people experience different styles of leadership.”

Tala senior director for global customer experience operations Iona Iñigo-Mayo shared her enthusiasm in taking on a bigger role in a globally-recognized company, “As a Filipina in a diverse and inclusive talent pool, I feel an even greater sense of purpose taking on a global leadership role. I look forward to seeing more women in Tala become rising stars in their respective roles, bridging the gender gap in an otherwise male-dominated Fintech industry.”