Financial Changemakers

Welcome to the Financial Changemakers podcast with Gretchen Betts – Managing Director at Magenta Financial Planning and Olivia Parnell – Trainee Financial Planner, Ascot Lloyd. This podcast series is for you if you are interested in learning about diversity and inclusion and are keen to embrace and make positive change in your life, business, management style or company ethos. In this third episode, hosts Gretchen and Olivia, discuss the importance of Race diversity in the Financial Services Profession with their guest: Tsitsi Mutiti, Charles Stanley and The Wealth Conversation. Tsitsi discusses how over time we accept language, phrases, descriptions, and it becomes inherent. The history which we grew up with has been ingrained, it is part of our DNA. We must be open and have the conversation. None of us are perfect. We are all human beings. Tsitsi describes how the conversation about Race is a conversation about Humanity. It is so important to have representation in the profession who is recognisable to you. Looking at this commercially, there is a lot of money that is being left on the table, because we are not engaging with people from the ‘non-traditional’ financial services background. The world is changing around us, and COVID-19 has bought many of these issues to the forefront. We need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, so we can get to a place where we can create inclusion, and a level playfield for everyone. The profession needs to ask several questions. What policies are in place? How can people access jobs? How can they gain knowledge in this industry? The Financial Services Industry is so important for everyone’s wellbeing. We must look at it holistically, and inclusively. Tsitsi describes viewing people in the same way as she would a portfolio. With a holistic view, considering client circumstances, the market etc. Bringing it down to the human level. ‘The more you can see of me, the more you see of me.’ We must make change. If you can put yourself into some else’s’ shoes and understand their journey, then you can understand how to be around them, how to work with them, how to advise them. If we educate ourselves, we can start to feel more comfortable. Tsitsi’s Key Take-Away for the subject of Race within the Financial Services Industry are: Diversity is about being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance. She invites us all to think about how we are going to get people, of different ethnicities, to participate more in what we are creating in our firms. How is what you create going to impact society in general? This podcast series is about creating a safe place for discussion and ultimately enabling you, our listener, to be a Changemaker. Let’s listen. Let’s Discuss. Let’s Learn. Let’s Implement Positive Change.