Inclusion Includes You: Harrington Starr’s IWD 2025 Celebration

A Call for Collective Inclusion in FinTech

This year’s Harrington Starr International Women’s Day (IWD) event was a powerful testament to the ongoing commitment to inclusion and equity within FinTech recruitment and the wider financial services technology space. Under the theme “Inclusion Includes You,” the event served as a rallying call for all individuals, regardless of gender, to engage in the conversation about diversity and workplace inclusion.

Hosted by Nadia Edwards-Dashti, Co-Founder of Harrington Starr, the event brought together a panel of phenomenal female speakers, including Lynda Clarke, Ashlea Atigolo, Oge Opara-Nadi, and Eugénie Colonna d'Istria. Together, they tackled critical discussions on AI, empathy, and diverse perspectives in FinTech. Their insights were amplified by the voices of seven male allies in the audience who stood up to share their commitment to change.

Breaking the Echo Chamber: The Need for Diverse Perspectives in FinTech

The event opened with a strong message: diversity is more than just a box-ticking exercise. Nadia emphasised that single perspectives create blind spots, particularly in industries like FinTech and financial technology sales, where innovation thrives on varied viewpoints. The risk of groupthink—where only one demographic dominates decision-making—was highlighted as a fundamental barrier to true progress.

Eugénie Colonna d'Istria took the stage to discuss the critical role of male allies in supporting women in the workplace. As someone whose career has been shaped by both male and female mentors, she emphasised that true gender equality in FinTech is not about replacing men—it’s about collaboration. She pointed to stark statistics: less than 15% of FinTech founders are women, and only 2% of venture capital (VC) funding goes to female-led businesses. These figures underscore the urgency for change, not just as a moral imperative but as an economic one. If men and women participated equally in entrepreneurship, global GDP could rise by $5 trillion.

Allyship and Sponsorship: The Role of Male Allies in FinTech

A key theme throughout the event was active sponsorship over passive mentorship. While mentorship provides guidance, sponsorship actively advocates for women’s career advancement. Attendees were encouraged to reflect on their role in this movement, with speakers urging male leaders in FinTech sales, technology, and recruitment to use their influence to create opportunities for women.

Several allies, including Cecil Adjalo, Simon Schofield, and Suresh Vaghjiani shared their experiences of advocating for women in the workplace. Cecil, Co-Founder of Foundervine, detailed how his organisation launched a female-only accelerator to challenge the myth of a “pipeline problem” in female entrepreneurship. The program attracted over 270 applications, proving that there is no shortage of female talent in tech—just a lack of access to opportunities.

Similarly, Deon Pillay from Legal & General Investment Management highlighted the importance of ensuring women are given leadership opportunities in technology. He underscored that simple actions—such as encouraging women to speak up in meetings and challenging gender biases—can create profound change.

AI With a Heart: The Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Empathy

Ashlea Atigolo delivered an eye-opening talk on AI and the importance of empathy in technology. She shared a personal experience where an AI-powered financial assistant failed to provide a human-centric response to a user expressing financial distress. Instead of offering reassurance, the AI simply advised, “Rearrange your portfolio and stop spending.”

This chilling example highlighted the real-world consequences of developing AI without empathy. As FinTech recruitment and technology businesses increasingly integrate AI into financial services, Ashlea urged companies to prioritise inclusive AI development. If AI is to play a role in financial decision-making, it must reflect the diversity of human experiences.

Challenging Workplace Norms: Elevating Underrepresented Voices

Oge Opara-Nadi, VP of Engineering at Hey Savi, explored the concept of diversity beyond just visible differences. She shared a personal revelation about how even within marginalised communities, echo chambers can exist, limiting perspectives. A striking example she provided was how many men are unaware of the safety concerns women face when commuting alone at night—an everyday reality that shapes behaviour in ways many never consider.

Her talk reinforced that true inclusion means acknowledging the different lived experiences of colleagues. She urged leaders in FinTech, banking, and software engineering to actively seek out diverse viewpoints in meetings and decision-making processes. A homogenous majority in any setting, she warned, presents an inherent risk: it limits innovation and creates blind spots in strategy and product development.

The Power of Leadership: Driving Systemic Change in FinTech

Several speakers emphasised that creating diverse and inclusive workplaces requires more than just policies—it demands cultural shifts. Lynda Clarke delivered a compelling talk on the impact of diverse leadership styles in FinTech. She challenged the notion that leadership should be tied to masculine traits like aggressiveness and overconfidence, citing numerous examples where empathetic and collaborative leadership styles have driven better business outcomes.

The importance of psychological safety in the workplace was also highlighted. Google’s research has shown that teams with high psychological safety outperform others, proving that an inclusive work culture is directly linked to business success. Leaders must not only hire for diversity but also create an environment where diverse voices are genuinely heard.

Taking Action: Pledges for a More Inclusive Future

As the event drew to a close, attendees were encouraged to make a pledge to drive inclusion beyond International Women’s Day. In true Harrington Starr fashion, this wasn’t just a symbolic gesture—it was an actionable commitment. Attendees wrote down their pledges on book tokens and exchanged them for books featuring diverse voices and perspectives, reinforcing the message that learning should not stop at the end of an event.

Nadia closed the event with a resounding call to action:

“Inclusion includes me. Inclusion includes you. Inclusion includes all of us.”

With Harrington Starr’s deep-rooted commitment to inclusion in FinTech recruitment, the event reinforced a key message: diversity is not a women’s issue—it’s a business imperative. By actively engaging in allyship, sponsorship, and cultural change, individuals across financial services and technology can contribute to a more equitable industry.

As attendees left, the energy in the room made it clear: this was not just another conference. It was a movement. And that movement continues in every boardroom, hiring decision, and product development conversation happening today—and every day—in the FinTech world.

Harrington Starr’s International Women’s Day event, was not just a moment of reflection but a powerful statement on the future of FinTech recruitment. As a business dedicated to finding and placing the best talent in financial technology, the themes explored—diverse leadership, AI’s role in inclusivity, and active allyship—directly relate to how Harrington Starr supports a more equitable and dynamic workforce.

Championing Inclusion in FinTech Recruitment

In the ever-evolving FinTech sector, competition for top talent is fierce. Harrington Starr has long emphasised that inclusion is not just a moral imperative but a business necessity. The IWD event reinforced this by demonstrating how diverse perspectives lead to better decision-making, stronger innovation, and increased profitability.

Speakers like Eugénie Colonna d'Istria and Oge Opara-Nadi shared compelling statistics that underscore the gender gap in FinTech. With less than 15% of FinTech founders being women and only 2% of VC funding going to female-led companies, it’s clear that talent is being overlooked due to systemic barriers. As a FinTech recruitment specialist, Harrington Starr actively works to challenge these disparities by advocating for diverse hiring strategies and ensuring companies recognise the untapped potential of women in leadership roles.

For FinTech firms seeking competitive advantage, hiring a diverse team is no longer optional—it’s essential. By hosting an event that brings these conversations to the forefront, Harrington Starr positions itself as more than just a recruiter—it is a thought leader driving change in the industry.

The Role of AI and Inclusion in FinTech Hiring

A key highlight of the event was Ashlea Atigolo’s discussion on AI and empathy. In FinTech, AI is revolutionising risk assessment, fraud detection, and financial advising. However, as Atigolo demonstrated through real-world examples, AI can reinforce bias if not designed with inclusivity in mind.

This has direct implications for recruitment. Many FinTech firms rely on AI-driven hiring tools, but these tools often inherit the same biases present in historical data. If AI models primarily analyse resumes from a male-dominated industry, they may undervalue female applicants or those from underrepresented backgrounds.

Harrington Starr’s role in FinTech recruitment extends beyond placing candidates—it includes consulting firms on best practices for inclusive hiring. The insights shared at the IWD event emphasise the importance of human oversight in hiring technology, ensuring AI complements, rather than hinders, diversity efforts.

Active Allyship: A Core Principle in Recruitment

One of the most impactful moments of the event was the participation of seven male allies who stood up to share their commitment to supporting women in the workplace. Cecil Adjalo, Simon Schofield, and Suresh Vaghjiani each emphasised the power of sponsorship over passive mentorship, a crucial distinction that FinTech firms must recognise to create real change.

In recruitment, this translates into leaders taking active steps to ensure women and underrepresented groups have access to career progression opportunities. Many firms claim to support diversity but fail to back those claims with actionable policies. Harrington Starr is committed to partnering with clients who prioritise inclusion, ensuring that they attract and retain a workforce that reflects the industry’s future, not just its past.

Why Inclusion Drives Better Business in FinTech

The FinTech industry is built on innovation, but innovation cannot thrive in homogeneous environments. The event’s closing remarks highlighted that companies investing in diverse hiring are more likely to outperform their competitors. Studies have consistently shown that diverse teams are more creative, resilient, and capable of problem-solving at scale.

As a FinTech recruitment business, Harrington Starr’s mission is to connect firms with the best talent while ensuring diversity and inclusion remain at the core of hiring strategies. The IWD event reinforced that inclusion is not just an HR initiative—it is a business growth strategy.