Leadership Lessons with… Sally Walton, Head of Financial Services at SEC Newgate UK

Leadership Lessons with… Sally Walton, Head of Financial Services at SEC Newgate UK

Providing real support to talent, why we need more focus on development plans in the hybrid world, the future of the financial services industry, and taking everyday action on diversity and inclusion. We recently spoke with Sally Walton, Head of Financial Services at SEC Newgate UK about her views on the future of the industry.

Take a look.

What do you see as the key role of an MD in 2023?

To really understand your team and understand where they want to go. New business will always be there, client work will always take precedence. But quality talent right now is in-demand, and if you want to attract and retain great professionals, and bring out the best in them, you need to know what their drivers are. You can make the work experience far more enjoyable for everyone by being team-focused.

What do you think are the key qualities needed from financial services leaders right now?

We know it has been a tough year.

PR and comms can be resilient in difficult times. Where some other budgets get slashed, many businesses know the importance of maintaining momentum and consistency in their comms during a tumultuous market.

Relationships are going to become more important, and the skills needed to build and cultivate those relationships are essential. Strengthening connections with clients and partners and truly understanding their businesses will make the difference. 

What’s your view on the future of office working? Do you think it’s possible to develop company culture in a remote or hybrid environment? 

Hybrid – that’s the future. We need to have a workplace where teams can come in, choose where they want to work depending on their focus that day, and be flexible with their time in the office. I also think it’s important to make a commitment about hybrid working. Your workforce needs to understand where leadership stands on workplace policies to adhere to it. 

That said, there does need to be more focus on training and development programmes to ensure we’re all still learning and upskilling – especially more junior talent – regardless of whether you’re in an office 4 days a week, or working overseas.

What changes are you seeing to employee demands, and how do you think leaders can meet these?

Clients aren’t the only ones concerned about business sustainability and ESG. Staff want to know what their employers are doing about key global issues, and what their purpose is beyond commercialism. 

We’re also likely to see talent become more vocal about their career ambitions, and how leaders can support their development and learning.

How have you seen the industry support the wellbeing of its employees? 

The industry is doing a good job at mental health and wellbeing support, but every industry and company is different. I can only really talk about our business.

During COVID, we had mental health practitioners in the business who made direct contact with the team to provide confidential, tailored support. I’m not saying we solved all the problems, but we did feel a responsibility to help, and that support is still available.

The old style of sitting next to each other in the office five days a week has gone, so we’re not seeing what others are going through as frequently. We need to find other ways of identifying whether someone in the team might need support.

What skillsets do you think businesses with financial services will be looking for now, and in the coming years?

Media relations is still extremely important – but it’s also the full-spectrum of problem-solving. Strategic expertise is in demand right now. Brand reputational issues are huge and will likely continue to be, so having the ability to analyse and evaluate, and construct good solutions is really important.

Research is also really key. What does the market think of this brand? What are their stakeholders saying about them? How does that impact the wider picture? These sorts of questions need in-depth research.

What do you think leaders can do to drive diversity and inclusion within financial service?

D&I is a huge focus right now, everyone wants to find better ways of broadening the industry’s demographics and creating equal opportunities. I think a key part of that is behaviour. You may have a diverse workforce, but how are you looking after them? What are the ways you’re cultivating talent and supporting progression towards leadership?

Understanding the behaviours and actions takes diversity and inclusion away from being a tick box exercise and makes it an ongoing commitment.