This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-61424706
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Starling Bank boss hopes banking is becoming less sexist | Starling Bank boss hopes banking is becoming less sexist |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| This video can not be played | This video can not be played |
| To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. | To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. |
| The woman behind the £2bn bank nobody believed in | The woman behind the £2bn bank nobody believed in |
| The boss of Starling Bank has said she hopes the sexism she overcame has made it "easier" for other women to start a business. | The boss of Starling Bank has said she hopes the sexism she overcame has made it "easier" for other women to start a business. |
| Anne Boden founded the mobile-only bank, which is now valued at more than £2bn. | Anne Boden founded the mobile-only bank, which is now valued at more than £2bn. |
| But she said female businesswomen have been treated like "boiled eggs" by male colleagues. | But she said female businesswomen have been treated like "boiled eggs" by male colleagues. |
| "They are either too hard or too soft, but never quite right," she said. | "They are either too hard or too soft, but never quite right," she said. |
| Anne Boden began a forty-year career in banking after graduating from Swansea University with a computer science degree. | Anne Boden began a forty-year career in banking after graduating from Swansea University with a computer science degree. |
| What hurdles do black women in business face? | What hurdles do black women in business face? |
| Women not supported to become leaders, says boss | Women not supported to become leaders, says boss |
| 'Women are perfectionists - it can hold us back' | 'Women are perfectionists - it can hold us back' |
| After the financial crisis of 2008 she became increasingly concerned about banks' relationships with customers and started planning to launch Starling Bank. | After the financial crisis of 2008 she became increasingly concerned about banks' relationships with customers and started planning to launch Starling Bank. |
| It involved "audacious" approaches for investment which eventually bore fruit. | It involved "audacious" approaches for investment which eventually bore fruit. |
| 'Five-foot Welsh woman' | 'Five-foot Welsh woman' |
| Anne Boden was a steelworker's daughter who started her career on the counter at Lloyds Bank | Anne Boden was a steelworker's daughter who started her career on the counter at Lloyds Bank |
| She said: "There I was, knocking on doors, saying I've got a great idea. | She said: "There I was, knocking on doors, saying I've got a great idea. |
| "Nobody believed me, and they wouldn't have believed me, probably, if I was a different sort of person. | "Nobody believed me, and they wouldn't have believed me, probably, if I was a different sort of person. |
| "But I am a 5ft tall Welsh woman that was pretty determined that we had the opportunity to change an industry. | "But I am a 5ft tall Welsh woman that was pretty determined that we had the opportunity to change an industry. |
| "I persevered, and two years in I got the funding to build something as special as this." | "I persevered, and two years in I got the funding to build something as special as this." |
| 'Responsible job' | 'Responsible job' |
| Ms Boden said she is most proud of the people who work at Starling Bank | Ms Boden said she is most proud of the people who work at Starling Bank |
| Starling Bank has almost three million personal and business accounts and employs staff in London, Southampton and Cardiff. | Starling Bank has almost three million personal and business accounts and employs staff in London, Southampton and Cardiff. |
| The Cardiff office opened in 2020, with plans to employ 400 people, but now has almost 900 employees in the city. | The Cardiff office opened in 2020, with plans to employ 400 people, but now has almost 900 employees in the city. |
| "What I am most proud of is the people who work here, who really believe that the profession of being a banker, of being a technologist, has special responsibilities. | "What I am most proud of is the people who work here, who really believe that the profession of being a banker, of being a technologist, has special responsibilities. |
| "We look after people's money - that's a responsible job, and we want to do it well," she added. | "We look after people's money - that's a responsible job, and we want to do it well," she added. |
| Third of ethnic minority staff face racism | Third of ethnic minority staff face racism |
| 'Master every aspect of your business' | 'Master every aspect of your business' |
| Starting the bank involved personal sacrifices for Ms Boden, who sold her Swansea home to help pay bills before investors backed her idea. | Starting the bank involved personal sacrifices for Ms Boden, who sold her Swansea home to help pay bills before investors backed her idea. |
| She was also acutely aware that a Welsh woman in her 50s was not the usual start-up founder - and those preconceptions placed further hurdles in her path. | She was also acutely aware that a Welsh woman in her 50s was not the usual start-up founder - and those preconceptions placed further hurdles in her path. |
| This video can not be played | This video can not be played |
| To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. | To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. |
| Anne Boden explains how Starling is using data and analytics to build online banking for customers | Anne Boden explains how Starling is using data and analytics to build online banking for customers |
| She said women still face a higher bar than male colleagues in business. | |
| "Lots of women in the industry are having a tough time getting to the position in the organisations that they deserve. | "Lots of women in the industry are having a tough time getting to the position in the organisations that they deserve. |
| "And it's sometimes because of the boiled egg syndrome - they are either too hard or too soft, but never quite right," she said. | "And it's sometimes because of the boiled egg syndrome - they are either too hard or too soft, but never quite right," she said. |
| Asked if her own success made it easier for women to follow her path, she said: "I really hope that having role models makes things easier for lots of women. | Asked if her own success made it easier for women to follow her path, she said: "I really hope that having role models makes things easier for lots of women. |
| "I am a technologist, with a computer science and chemistry degree from Swansea University. | "I am a technologist, with a computer science and chemistry degree from Swansea University. |
| "I have started a bank that is one of the leaders in the world of fintech. | "I have started a bank that is one of the leaders in the world of fintech. |
| "It can be done by people from Wales and we can lead the world - and we can be women." | "It can be done by people from Wales and we can lead the world - and we can be women." |
| HEARTBREAKING DECISIONS: Families fleeing the war in Ukraine | HEARTBREAKING DECISIONS: Families fleeing the war in Ukraine |
| WALESCAST: One-stop shop of what's happening in the world of Welsh politics | WALESCAST: One-stop shop of what's happening in the world of Welsh politics |