The Women in Fintech series: In conversation with Bryony Morse

The positive impact women make across the UK business community can sometimes fall under the radar. We believe in the importance of celebrating women in Fintech and elevating their stories – not only because their achievements are remarkable in themselves, but because they help inspire ambitious women to cast their self-doubt aside and become the  leaders of tomorrow.

Starting out in the Fintech space

Bryony Morse is one of our resident Senior Business Finance Specialists. Over the past three years she’s climbed the ranks of the sales team and has well and truly cemented herself as a business finance expert in the Fintech ecosystem. 

Senior Business Finance Specialist, Bryony Morse

Bryony is very confident in her abilities now, but when she first started working in Fintech she was unsure. “At the start I didn't feel I'd be successful in finance; it was a new area for me, and I had some self-doubt” she explains.

Bryony’s central worry was that she “wouldn't be taken seriously” because she was a woman working in a traditionally male dominated domain. 

Her worries are not unfounded. Ideas about where men and women ‘should’ work still plays a role in society today. Bryony feels that "there are gender roles that start from an early age, for example what subjects’ males or females should study and continue into career choices."

Women may lack confidence in their ability to compete in fields that are stereotypically reserved for men and as a result may feel they need to compensate by changing their behaviours.

Bryony says she can be “quite expressive and flamboyant" in the way she talks. However, she admits she has felt the need to change that in certain circumstances. “I have felt the need to be quite assertive and dominant when speaking to male CEOs, in order to be taken seriously."

Worries and self-doubt are certainly common and something many of us face in our day-to-day lives. But they shouldn’t stem from the idea that a person’s gender influences the type of work they should do and their ability to execute it successfully.

Life at Funding Options

Bryony has established herself as a key member of the Funding Options team. She’s playing a critical role in helping support UK business access the funding they need to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns. It’s a task no one has really prepared for but she’s handling it with the grace and professionalism of a true leader. 

Bryony has dealt with her feelings of self-doubt and come out the other side. She says that other women who may doubt themselves ‘’should remember how hard they’ve worked to get to where they are and they should not let self- doubt stand in the way of their success."

Inclusive workplaces can help nurture confidence. As Bryony says, ‘’women shouldn’t be afraid to make their voice heard and as long as you’re in the right company, then you know people will let your voice be heard."

It’s our job to make sure our Fintech community is made up of the kind of people who'll listen to what each and every one of us has to say – regardless of our gender. 

Discover more about Funding Options and the different inclusivity charters we’ve signed up to here.