Women’s Health and Career Reboots

Women’s Health, Career Pivots, and Inclusive Workplaces

This episode of FinTech’s DEI Discussions, hosted by Nadia, highlights a powerful and timely conversation with Sophie Creese, Co-Founder and CEO of HeyFlow and MotherBoard. As part of a 12-part special series in partnership with the City of London Corporation and the Women Pivoting to Digital Taskforce, this discussion focuses on the intersection of reproductive health, inclusive hiring, and the challenges faced by women transitioning into technology and FinTech careers.

At Harrington Starr, a global FinTech recruitment business, we recognise how critical it is for employers to build cultures that welcome diverse career backgrounds. This episode offers clear and compelling insights for companies looking to improve gender balance, foster equity, and hire the best FinTech talent.

From Fashion to FinTech: Sophie’s Unconventional Path into Recruitment

Sophie’s career started in fashion, where she co-founded a label with a friend while at university. After stepping away from the fashion business, she entered recruitment, first in retail, then later in technology. But it was the timing of this transition that made the biggest difference. Having just returned from her first maternity leave, Sophie joined the tech sector after experiencing firsthand how motherhood could disrupt a woman’s career in unexpected and disheartening ways.

Although she was successful in her role, Sophie’s sense of belonging and fulfilment had drastically declined. The organisation where she had spent eight years no longer felt like home. Her story is a stark reminder that high performance does not shield women from the penalties of motherhood, a reality that would eventually inspire her to launch MotherBoard.

Recognising Systemic Bias in Tech Recruitment

While working in tech recruitment, Sophie started to notice patterns. Highly qualified women were being excluded from shortlists if they needed even minor flexibility, such as leaving early one day a week to collect their child. These same companies would often request diverse candidate slates, but when confronted with real-life needs from women, they would opt out.

This disconnect between inclusion as a stated value and exclusion in practice fueled Sophie’s frustration. Around the same time, a major report revealed that half of all women were leaving the tech industry by the age of 35. The link to motherhood and reproductive milestones was unmistakable yet widely ignored.

Sophie decided to do something about it. With a vision to reshape how organisations think about women’s careers, she founded MotherBoard, a not-for-profit created to elevate motherhood as a legitimate workplace issue.

MotherBoard: Community, Charter, and Change

MotherBoard began as an educational initiative but quickly evolved into a broader movement. It is now a community for anyone in tech who believes that supporting mothers is essential to supporting women in the sector. The organisation helps businesses commit to lasting change through the MotherBoard Charter, a set of principles that go beyond lip service and focus on deep-rooted inclusion strategies.

The community offers shared experiences, resources, and a sense of solidarity. MotherBoard isn’t just about one gender or parental status; it’s about aligning values with action. It recognises that to build more inclusive FinTech teams, we need to address the specific barriers that mothers face.

The Launch of HeyFlow: Tackling Reproductive Health in the Workplace

After the birth of her second child, Sophie once again experienced the career disruption that comes with reproductive life changes. But this time, the clarity was even greater. She realised that while MotherBoard addressed motherhood, the full reproductive journey, IVF, miscarriage, menstruation, and menopause, was still largely invisible in workplace conversations.

In 2023, Sophie launched HeyFlow, the world’s first talent intelligence platform that helps businesses identify how reproductive health impacts their female talent lifecycle. Designed for organisations with over 1,000 employees, HeyFlow pinpoints attrition triggers, promotion bottlenecks, and hidden costs associated with female career stagnation or exit. These losses are not marginal; they can amount to millions annually in recruitment, training, and missed innovation.

This analytical approach reframes inclusion from a “nice to have” into a business imperative. For FinTech leaders aiming to retain their best people and close gender gaps, platforms like HeyFlow offer a measurable, data-driven path forward.

Why FinTech Still Struggles with Flexibility

Despite its reputation for innovation, the tech industry has a surprising rigidity when it comes to working arrangements. Sophie describes how roles in development and engineering are rarely offered part-time or with true flexibility, especially in mid- to senior-level positions.

This creates a huge barrier for women, particularly those pivoting into tech after parental leave or career breaks. The prevailing attitude is that flexibility equals lesser capability, when in fact the opposite is often true.

This is a key consideration in FinTech recruitment. Companies that want to stand out must address not just who they’re hiring, but how they’re enabling those hires to succeed. Without structural flexibility, organisations risk alienating highly capable candidates before they even apply.

Preparing Employers for Career Pivoters

As part of the Women Pivoting to Digital Taskforce, Sophie brings a nuanced perspective to the challenges of transitioning into tech. She urges businesses to move beyond performative policies and assess their actual readiness to support women re-entering or re-routing their careers into technical fields.

Through MotherBoard, companies can access best-practice frameworks, inclusion audits, and resources that foster real change. HeyFlow complements this by offering insight into leadership capability, departmental disparities, and comparison metrics. These solutions are invaluable for FinTech organisations serious about achieving gender equity.

When it comes to FinTech hiring, especially for technical roles, inclusive readiness isn’t just ethical, it’s strategic. Businesses that fail to adapt will find themselves at a disadvantage in the competition for top-tier talent.

The Power of Network and Visibility in FinTech Career Progression

While systemic change is critical, Sophie also highlighted the personal power of networks. Her career journey, from recruiter to tech founder, was fuelled by peer support, shared knowledge, and mentorship.

MotherBoard offers a rich catalogue of career stories from women across the industry, demonstrating that no two tech journeys are the same. Whether you’re just completing a coding course or sitting in the C-suite, the value of seeing someone like you succeed cannot be overstated.

At Harrington Starr, we see this mirrored in our work every day. Candidates thrive when they feel part of something larger, when they see a place for themselves not only in the job, but in the culture. Helping clients create these environments is a crucial part of modern FinTech recruitment.

Women Bring Essential Skills to FinTech Careers

When asked what previous experiences tend to serve women well in tech, Sophie’s answer was clear. Communication, empathy, stakeholder management, and problem-solving all ranked highly, and these are precisely the traits that modern FinTech teams require.

FinTech businesses operate in fast-paced, heavily regulated environments where teamwork, clarity, and customer insight are paramount. The idea that women, especially career pivoters, lack the necessary credentials is not only outdated but provably incorrect. In fact, many bring broader, more interdisciplinary skill sets that can dramatically improve project outcomes and client relationships.

This insight is vital for hiring managers and recruiters. The best FinTech teams are built not just on technical skills, but on the soft power of collaboration, emotional intelligence, and perspective.

Business-Ready Means People-Ready

As the conversation drew to a close, Nadia asked what businesses can do to better support women entering digital careers. Sophie’s answer was refreshingly direct: take ownership.

She emphasised the need for companies to look beyond headline policies and examine where barriers actually exist, often in team culture, line management, or outdated assumptions. With AI automating more tasks, the human side of work is more valuable than ever. Businesses that invest in understanding and supporting women across all life stages will gain a competitive advantage in innovation, performance, and retention.

In the FinTech recruitment space, this has never been more relevant. Clients are looking to build sustainable, scalable teams. That means understanding the full context in which talent operates, from personal circumstances to workplace norms. Helping businesses become truly people-ready is how we ensure long-term success.

Conclusion: A Roadmap for FinTech Employers and Career Pivoters Alike

This episode of FinTech’s DEI Discussions is a masterclass in what it takes to build inclusive, sustainable tech workplaces. Sophie Creese brings clarity, compassion, and strategic thinking to every part of the conversation, showing how businesses can support women through every chapter of their careers, from early parenthood to executive leadership.

At Harrington Starr, we are proud to partner with companies that share these values. Whether you are hiring for software engineers, product leaders, data professionals, or sales and marketing talent, inclusion is not just a tick-box; it is a foundation for growth.

If your organisation is ready to turn to tech in the right way, now is the time to act. Embed flexible practices. Invest in training. Learn from the data. And most importantly, listen to the stories of those navigating the path today.

This episode is part of a 12-part mini-series powered by FinTech’s DEI Discussions in collaboration with the City of London Corporation and the Women Pivoting to Digital Taskforce. Let’s continue to learn, to grow, and to build FinTech careers and cultures that work, for everyone.