Episode #58
The Human Side of Wealth Management with Aneka Beneby
Aneka Beneby: Ambition, Motherhood and Redefining Success In this episode of BWD In The Know, Ellie Corkill hosts the latest instalment of her mini-series, The Human Side of Wealth Management. Ellie is joined by Aneka Beneby , Senior Portfolio Manager and CFA Charterholder, for a conversation about ambition, motherhood, self-belief and how our definition of success can change throughout our careers. Aneka shares her journey from growing up in the Bahamas and discovering financial markets almost by chance, to building a career in investment management and making the move to London with a six-month-old baby. She reflects on some of the biggest decisions and challenges she has faced along the way, and the lessons she has learnt about taking risks, putting yourself forward and building a career that feels meaningful beyond titles and promotions. In this episode, they discuss: Aneka’s journey from the Bahamas into investment management, from starting as an assistant to a CEO to becoming a portfolio manager Making the move to London with a young baby and why some of the biggest opportunities can come when the timing feels far from perfect Ambition, self-awareness and why women shouldn’t feel they have to shrink themselves in order to be liked Achieving a major promotion and still feeling flat, and how this forced Aneka to rethink what success actually meant to her The danger of constantly chasing the next achievement, title or piece of external validation rather than learning to enjoy the journey Motherhood and career, why there is no perfect time to have children and the different trade-offs that come with starting a family at different stages of your career The practical things that helped Aneka navigate motherhood alongside a senior career, from support networks and finances to protecting her time and energy Why women no longer necessarily have to choose between having a successful career and having a family, even if balancing the two is not always easy Representation, mentorship and why Aneka feels a responsibility to be the role model for others that she was fortunate enough to see growing up Taking opportunities before you feel ready, from moving countries to appearing on Bloomberg and delivering a TEDx talk, and how doing hard things can build confidence over time This is an open and honest conversation about ambition, family, career progression and learning to define success on your own terms. Whether you work in wealth or investment management, are navigating your own career progression, thinking about how family fits alongside ambition, or simply find yourself constantly asking “what’s next?”, this episode is well worth a listen. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:29 From the Bahamas to finance 02:46 Moving to London 05:04 Confidence and doing hard things 07:25 Ambition and being “too ambitious” 10:00 Representation in a male-dominated industry 12:14 The flat feeling after promotion 15:00 Redefining success 19:02 Motherhood and career trade-offs 21:21 Building a support system 27:10 Returning to work after maternity leave 31:04 Why representation matters 33:55 Bloomberg and the full-circle moment 38:58 TEDx and acting in spite of fear 43:05 Self-talk and managing the inner critic 47:38 Advice to younger Aneka Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
