WCW recently caught up with Laura Glynn, Director of Global Regulatory Compliance, Fenergo to discuss her career in RegTech and how the industry is primed for diversity.

What was the best piece of advice you got regarding your life/career and how did it influence your path into financial services?
We spend, on average, a significant percent of our week “at work”. In my first legal internship, I received great advice: “find something you love doing and you’ll never work another day”.
My first boss was a great support and helped me to navigate the world of regulatory compliance. She remains a good friend and her early advice really helped to shape and define my career path – so much so that I’m still here 10 years later. The compliance industry is a small in Ireland and the colleagues with whom I started on my journey are now settled in a diverse array of roles and remain a great support network.

What are the challenges and opps for a career in Regtech?
RegTech was traditionally viewed as a male-dominated field. This is slowly changing and there are many more opportunities these days for women in this field than ever before. RegTech companies must continue to put diversity on the table if we are to see the number of women working in RegTech increasing.
A big advantage of working in RegTech is its global diversity. At Fenergo we work with 650+ colleagues across the world, with over 70+ banking clients and a host of global partners. This provides great exposure to different people, cultures and ethnicities. It really broadens the mind and there is obviously great opportunities to travel to different countries. RegTech is also fast growing and propels people’s careers in ways in which more traditional industries just don’t. I’ve enjoyed so many great opportunities being part of Fenergo and continue to do so.

Why does regtech needs more women? What unique perspective do women bring to the industry?
As the old adage goes diversity breeds innovation, which is a central concept in the RegTech industry. Industry research shows that diverse teams perform better. Not only gender, but different races, background and experiences help to deliver more innovative solutions and richer working experiences. Females add a different perspective and a different approach to working. We are now seeing an increasing number of female leaders in the salesroom, boardroom and driving the key business decisions within our banking clients and prospects. They have very strong diversity programs in place and they fully expect their RegTech partners to measure up to these programs. At Fenergo, we have number of diversity programs in place to try and encourage our future female leaders to grasp opportunities and navigate their careers in ways that will provide them with fulfilling and lasting careers.