Smashing Stereotypes: The Real Trading Floor Experience

Creating Inclusive Futures in FinTech

This episode of FinTech’s DEI Discussions, hosted by Nadia, features a compelling and insightful conversation with Asha Patel, Portfolio and Index Sales Trader at Instinet Incorporated. From navigating a career that began during the collapse of Lehman Brothers to becoming a key advocate for inclusion and empowerment in financial services, Asha’s journey exemplifies the resilience, strategic thinking, and progressive leadership that are increasingly essential in FinTech.

For Harrington Starr, a FinTech recruitment business that champions inclusive hiring, diverse workplaces, and long-term career progression in the financial technology space, Asha’s story is not only inspirational—it is instructional. It provides clear examples of what inclusive workplaces look like in practice and how diverse thinking is built, not assumed.

Launching a FinTech Career Amidst Economic Collapse

Asha Patel began her financial services career in the summer of 2008, an entry marked by significant historical and economic disruption. She joined the Lehman Brothers capital markets graduate programme, completing her exams and preparing for team rotations just weeks before the investment bank collapsed. That weekend, she watched the bankruptcy unfold from her sofa, and on the following Monday, when she was due to begin her formal rotations, access to the building was denied.

This moment could have ended her aspirations, but Asha gave herself four weeks to find another opportunity. She resisted the idea of immediately returning to education for a Master’s, preferring instead to remain in the workforce. Just before her self-imposed deadline, she received a call from one of the managing directors at Lehman Brothers offering her a role with Nomura. In October 2008, she began working in equities trading, eventually transferring to Instinet, a subsidiary of Nomura, after restructuring in 2012.

Her ability to recover from the fallout of Lehman Brothers and build a stable, impactful career in FinTech reflects the adaptability and drive needed to succeed in this fast-moving industry.

Instinet’s Client-Centric Model and Global FinTech Operations

Now with 16 years of experience, Asha is a Portfolio and Index Sales Trader at Instinet Incorporated. Instinet is a global equity brokerage focused on agency-only trading. Unlike many of its peers, Instinet does not engage in proprietary trading, which means that all services and revenue generation are client-focused.

Instinet operates globally, with headquarters in New York and offices in major financial hubs such as London, Frankfurt, Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia. The firm's culture emphasises trading efficiency, innovation, and delivering best execution—key attributes that appeal to FinTech professionals and financial institutions alike.

For candidates exploring FinTech jobs or looking to move into more client-facing roles in trading technology, Instinet offers a model of operational excellence. Its agency-only approach stands out in a market increasingly shaped by mergers, consolidations, and regulatory scrutiny.

What Inclusion in Financial Services Really Means

Inclusion in FinTech is more than diversity metrics or corporate pledges. As Asha articulates, inclusion must be practised daily across multiple levels of the business. It involves ensuring that every team member has a voice, regardless of their communication style. Inclusion is not limited to HR-led initiatives or representation quotas; it is realised in meetings, panels, external presentations, and who is chosen to speak on behalf of the business.

Asha draws attention to a pattern seen across many financial services firms—reliance on the same individuals for outward-facing opportunities. While these individuals may be excellent representatives, true inclusion requires that these opportunities be passed down, giving new voices and emerging leaders their moment to speak.

In a FinTech recruitment context, this concept of “passing it down” resonates strongly. Organisations must think about how they nurture future leaders—not just hiring diverse candidates, but ensuring their voices are heard and valued throughout their careers.

Embedding Diverse Thinking in FinTech Teams

Diverse thinking—one of the most sought-after traits in FinTech hiring—is not automatic. It must be cultivated through intentional learning, leadership, and organisational structure. Asha advocates for learning and development programmes that stretch beyond technical skills. She praises Nomura’s educational offerings, from immediate-access digital content to more intensive long-term courses and even external training options.

She also champions the idea that leadership should have responsibility for nurturing others. For example, team leaders should be required to create opportunities for others—whether junior or lateral peers—to take on responsibility, participate in meetings, or own client relationships. These actions not only build confidence and skill within the team, they also encourage collaboration over competition.

In her sales role, Asha often encourages team members to step in when their communication style or strengths may be a better fit for a particular client. This open-handed approach is uncommon in front-office environments, which are often protective of client ownership. Yet, she believes it results in stronger relationships and better outcomes.

For FinTech recruitment, this insight is invaluable. We frequently speak to candidates who feel siloed or overlooked. Understanding that diverse thinking must be modelled and encouraged by leadership helps us advise clients on how to retain top talent by creating genuinely inclusive environments.

Creating Empowering FinTech Workplaces

Empowerment in FinTech roles is deeply connected to autonomy, recognition, and the ability to grow. Asha shares that one of the most empowering aspects of her career has been the trust placed in her by her line manager. Rather than micromanaging, her manager allows each team member to handle their client base independently, stepping in with guidance only when needed.

This level of autonomy is particularly effective in sales trading, where time-sensitive market conditions require quick, confident decisions. Having the freedom to manage client relationships while knowing support is available fosters both responsibility and innovation.

Recognition also plays a vital role. Asha notes that even a simple “well done” from senior leadership after a long trading day can significantly boost morale. In high-pressure environments, small gestures carry weight.

She also raises an important point about career progression in FinTech sales roles. While many individuals may become more senior, the titles and day-to-day responsibilities can remain static. More transparent and proactive conversations around growth—whether in the same role or via lateral opportunities—are essential for retention and engagement.

Why Board Experience Matters in FinTech Careers

Asha’s pursuit of board-level experience provides a blueprint for long-term career growth in financial services. Realising that she wanted to prepare for life beyond early morning starts and front-office intensity, she began exploring non-executive and trustee roles.

She started small—becoming an ambassador for Little Lives UK and writing blogs for the organisation. She joined working groups internally and externally, slowly gaining exposure to decision-making processes. After several failed applications to high-profile charities, she realised many board positions were held by senior executives from large firms, so she recalibrated.

Eventually, she found an opportunity with the Women’s Council, focused on disability inclusion, and later joined the board of Sustainable Trading. This nonprofit helps define ESG standards for trading desks across the industry.

Through this experience, Asha has developed skills in governance, strategy, and sector-wide thinking that now enhance her effectiveness at Instinet. She encourages others—especially those in their 20s and 30s—to seek these roles early, rather than waiting until later in their careers.

This insight is critical for FinTech recruitment firms like Harrington Starr. Candidates with board experience often bring added strategic value to firms. Promoting this pathway not only helps professionals build broader skill sets, it also strengthens the industry’s leadership pipeline.

Sharing Knowledge and Expanding Access to Financial Services

As the conversation closes, Asha reflects on the importance of knowledge-sharing and access—two critical elements in any FinTech diversity and inclusion strategy. She believes we should all talk more, send each other articles that spark thought, and share learnings that could benefit others.

She also expresses concern over the shrinking pipeline of junior talent in front-office roles. Graduate schemes are less certain, and businesses are reluctant to commit to future hires a year in advance. As a result, many candidates no longer enter the industry at 21 or 22 and grow within a firm.

Asha calls for earlier outreach—before GCSEs even begin. She highlights how difficult it is for young people, including her own children, to understand what careers in finance actually involve. Unlike visiting a doctor or lawyer, students rarely see a trading floor. She recommends firms open their doors more regularly—not once a year, but several times—to demystify the industry.

She also proposes educating parents, many of whom may still associate finance with outdated portrayals of high-pressure, aggressive trading environments. Asha insists that her experience has been nothing like that and that her colleagues have always been respectful, supportive, and collaborative.

Conclusion: A Roadmap for Inclusive, Empowered FinTech Careers

This episode of FinTech’s DEI Discussions offers a masterclass in what it means to build an inclusive, empowering, and resilient FinTech career. Asha Patel’s journey—from surviving the Lehman Brothers collapse to shaping ESG conversations on the board of Sustainable Trading—is filled with lessons that FinTech companies, recruiters, and candidates alike can learn from.

At Harrington Starr, we believe that hiring diverse talent is just the first step. What happens next—how businesses support, elevate, and include their people—is what defines long-term success. Asha’s insights reaffirm the importance of inclusive leadership, proactive career planning, and building environments where everyone has the chance to grow.