To celebrate International Women's Day we sat down with Andrea Webb to discuss her journey to becoming our Head of People and the importance of creating a diverse and inclusive culture.
How would you describe the culture at RTGS.global?
Achieving the ideal culture balance between being an established corporate and an agile startup is a work in progress. RTGS.global operates in a critical space, working with some of the largest financial bodies across every region. Yet we’re still powered by the innovation and agility of a younger company, focused on product market fit and adapting to what our customers want from us.
Overall though, it’s a very collaborative environment, and people speak highly of their colleagues. The calibre of talent we have within the RTGS.global team is the reason why we’re able to maintain our strong market standing; imagine your best marketer, your best product or salesperson, that’s who drives RTGS.global to success.
The other standout element of our company culture is how accessible the leadership team is to the rest of the business. There’s a real sense of 360-degree support and collaboration; everyone pulls together in the same direction. It can be difficult navigating different stages of business but having that underpinning reassurance that everyone has each other's back makes it a whole lot easier.
What have been the key learnings from your career to date that you have brought into your current role at RTGS.global?
Maintain a growth mindset, pure and simple. The world is changing so rapidly, and careers are never static, so why tie yourself to one way of thinking. Embracing change and pushing myself out of my comfort zone has been crucial for me, and I firmly believe that feeling a sense of unease or butterflies can be a good thing, in the right context.
I was at a very established business for many years, which I absolutely loved, but I reached a stage where I wanted – and needed – that new challenge. It may seem cliché, but it’s such an important part of career development, not allowing yourself to become too comfortable – content but not stagnant.
The other crucial thing to recognise is that there will always be someone who’s better than you at something. That’s just part of life – if you let yourself get bothered by it, or even feel threatened, then you’re on a losing streak and you’ll only be limiting your own potential. It’s vital to have confidence in your own abilities and not constantly compare yourself to those around you.
When you’re in a leadership role especially, the key thing is to be able to listen, step back, and allow other people to come forward. It’s not on you to dictate everything – embrace other people’s perspectives and ideas. RTGS.global lives and breathes this way of working; our CEO ensures every team member always has a direct line to him, for any questions or new ideas they may have. When collaboration extends across all levels of seniority, then you know you’ve got robust and resilient work model.
How and why is supporting a diverse and inclusive workplace important to you?
A workplace committed to D&I genuinely helps bring out the best in people. If you allow individuals to be themselves, it’s only natural that they’ll flourish. And there’s a direct link to business impact; culture influences performance.
All businesses should want to create an environment where everyone has a voice and feels heard. I've seen it before in organisations where really high performing people don't feel that they can contribute, and so they go elsewhere. Without even knowing, that company loses someone who potentially could have been a true asset in the future.
We've created an environment at RTGS.global where people can be themselves – and this is encouraged from the very top. The company holds regular CEO updates, which start with an open Q&A forum for the whole team to ask any questions they have. If someone doesn’t feel comfortable speaking in front of others, our CEO encourages them to approach him privately. This type of open forum allows people to challenge decisions – in a constructive way – and they leave feeling heard and respected.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I’ve been given is to simply ‘be yourself’. In today’s business jargon we call this being an ‘authentic leader’; a continuous process of self-awareness and transparency about who you are to others, your strengths, and limitations. When you admit you don’t know what you don’t know, you’ll be surprised at how much others will help.
What does the future of RTGS.global look like?
This year is shaping up to be a really exciting one for RTGS.global. We’re on track to have currency corridors up and running for the first time, which is ultimately what we're all here for.
It’s such a positive feeling knowing that our team will experience a huge sense of accomplishment, as we get ever closer to achieving the goal we’ve all been striving towards. Whether you work in products, sales, engineering, or another department, we all have one vision, and each person has their own unique part to play in this next critical stage of company growth.
From a career perspective, it’s well understood that progression in scale ups can be different, especially compared to an established environment where careers are far more structured and progression pathways are linear. Whereas in scale ups, roles and responsibilities can be fluid, dependent on what the business needs at that point in time. We're all learning as we go, and there are limitless opportunities to learn and grow. So, the strategy is constantly evolving, and I’m looking forward to the future where we’ll start to add some structure to these career development opportunities as the company progresses.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
I realised the other day when asked about International Women’s Day that I’ve never stopped to think about the fact that I'm a woman in a leadership role, which I found quite shocking. Having presumed that I was just fortunate enough that I didn’t notice any divide throughout my career, I then started to recall the really small things.
For example, I travelled a lot for work in the past, and I remember now that I was often the only woman on flights, or I'd be sitting down having dinner at a hotel in Dublin, and I was surrounded by groups of men in suits. It never phased me at the time, but I suppose that’s partly the problem.
For me, International Women’s Day is a reminder to pause and acknowledge that it hasn’t always been as easy for some people as it has for others, and it’s good to be able to shine a light on all the things that have happened before. I also think there’s a much broader challenge behind International Women's Day, and we've spun off into a world that is way beyond just women's needs. We all need to take the time to stop, think and recognise that we all have our own part to play. Make sure you showcase those talented individuals around you, and (linking back to my previous point) be proactive in nurturing an inclusive and collaborative environment that gives everyone a voice and ensures they receive the respect they deserve.
