International Women’s day - An interview with Susanna Yallop

Susanna Yallop - Chief People Officer Starling Bank

1. Can you tell me about what you do?

I lead the People Team at Starling, an innovative and ambitious digital bank.  We are in hyper-growth mode so we are actively hiring and building a people function to support and develop careers at Starling.  We have a diverse mix of talented employees including customer service reps, technologists and banking specialists. Starling was only founded in 2014, and today we have more than 1.25 million personal and business accounts and 800+ employees; growing this fast means there's a big People agenda.

2.What are your main responsibilities and achievements at Starling Bank? 

We provide commercial People expertise. Our recruitment team is particularly busy at the moment having recruited over 500 new colleagues in the past year. We have opened two new offices in the same timeframe and our business partners have been focussed on organisational design and ensuring our innovative, fast-paced and creative environment is maintained alongside our rapid growth.  We recognise that work is a huge part of life and our founder, Anne Boden, wants people to have fun at work; our people agenda supports that ambition.

3.Did you always want to work for a Technology (Fintech) Firm?

No, my background is in traditional financial services, Starling is very different! I think a lot of organisations say they move fast and there's a tendency for everyone to want to say they are 'super busy' but it's a reality working at a Fintech.

4.Do you think there is a lack of women in senior HR positions?

Yes, in some ways this is reflective of the gender imbalance generally but I think it's worse in HR.  The profession attracts lots of bright ambitious women so we need to ask the question why it's men who end up leading the teams.  At Starling we have a female CEO and that makes a big difference. Anne actively champions and promotes women in technology and banking and wants us to use technology for good.  With the help of technology I am able to do my job flexibly and that means a great deal to me. I can understand why other women who do not have that support aren't able to achieve their ambitions.

5.What barriers have you faced, as a woman, in becoming successful in your field? How did you overcome them?

I have been well supported in my career by both male and female People leaders.  As I've said, I think flexibility is key to allowing women to be successful in whatever their chosen field.  Before finding Starling, I set up my own HR consultancy business to help me to achieve that flexibility.

6. Is there anyone (male or female) that inspires you in your career?

There's no one in particular I could single out, I just appreciate people who are great at what they do.  I want to work in an environment that recognises and rewards people for that and that's what I'd like to create at Starling.

7.How important is it for women to lift each other up and what does that mean to you?

This is very important, we have a strong female presence on the Starling executive team, demonstrating expertise in lots of different functional areas.  I hope that sends a message to other women that they can realise their ambitions and lead their teams. 

8.On International Women’s Day what is the most important message you want to send out to young women starting their career today? 

Focus on being the best you can be.  Look for a company that recognises that and don't waste time in places that don't!