Rising up at Trustly, Money20/20 and the entire Fintech industry.

It’s been well established by various studies that diversity and gender inclusivity drives higher returns on equity. In fact, inclusive teams can be as much as six times more innovative than non-diverse, non-inclusive teams. So closing the gender gap can now be seen as a matter of global economic importance.

At the recent Money20/20 event held in Amsterdam, I was given the fantastic opportunity to be a moderator in the RiseUp programme that focuses on female inclusivity in the Fintech industry. There I shared my perspective on the importance of ‘Why men need to advocate to empower more women leaders’.

Here are some of the key points to mention:

Diversity and inclusion drives organizational performance

It’s been well established by various studies that diversity and gender inclusivity drives higher returns on equity. In fact, inclusive teams can be as much as six times more innovative than non-diverse, non-inclusive teams. So closing the gender gap can now be seen as a matter of global economic importance.

Male advocacy is about conscious leadership

Closing the gender gap is not just a “woman thing”. Men need to be part of the conversation and part of the change towards a viable solution. Managing this change requires strong, intentional leadership to leverage the full power of an organization to create a more inclusive environment.

Intersections are equally important

Right now in the European tech industry, there’s a growing dialogue around intersectional perspectives on diversity. We are becoming more aware of the differences within a group of women where ethnicity, age, pronouns and sexual orientation are all factors that intersect with each other.It is important that we in the industry recognize these overlapping identities in order to become truly inclusive.

Leadership must be self-reflective

Company and industry leaders need to be mindful of their positions of privilege. Leaders also need to actively reflect on their own biases and blind spots to assure they understand the true lived experience of our culture in the organization. In being more self-reflective, and even to disrupt the denial of inequality – leaders can thereby analyze and scrutinize their roles in the fight for equality.

At Trustly, promoting diverse and inclusive teams lets us continue to be on the forefront of innovation in the payments industry. Not only that, we can keep leading the way for active empowerment of women leaders.