Be the chan­ge you want, Mart­ha Mg­hen­di-Fis­her, foun­der EWPN

On a rainy Saturday last February, I headed to a little town in the centre of the Netherlands, Amersfoort. Despite the weather, I was very much looking forward to the first interview in my new role as Chief Editor of B-Elle, the online business magazine in Diversity & Inclusion. The woman I was about to meet is called Martha Mghendi-Fisher. A very special woman that I came to know 5 years ago. With a lot of admiration, I witnessed her European Women Payments Network grow from scratch into a community of over 1000 Members and 15 corporates. 

EWPN is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to building a community for women in cards, fintech & payments in Europe. As the first and only Pan-European community for women, EWPN strives to create more opportunities for women and minorities, as well as being a champion for a more diverse and inclusive industry for all. EWPN does this by organizing local networking evenings, workshops, annual events, awards and by doing research in this field.

Starting our interview, one of my first questions is always: How did you start your day? And as Martha explains, always with a cup of English breakfast tea with a little bit of sugar and a little bit of milk in a big cup. "If I don't have tea, I don't have a good day", she says.

Martha shares

Martha's shares with us her personal vision on diversity & inclusion. "It is complicated and important at the same time. There is no one market solution. Companies should embrace and implement strategies and processes that allow them to be more diverse and inclusive because it has economic benefits for the company as a whole. It is also a must to be able to market the services you provide in the most optimal way. If you don't understand the demographics, your services risk not to make sense to your buyers. Gender diversity is one of the easiest drivers to implement because the population is 50/50. If you don't include half of the population, that means you are missing out as a company."

The financial sector is one of the least diverse industries, which raises more opportunities for women and companies. Companies are able to tap into a bigger talent pool and at the same time provide opportunities and a safe environment for their increasingly diverse teams.  With EWPN, Martha and her dedicated team of country ambassadors and all volunteers are making this possible. They organize network gatherings and events worldwide, but they also provide research and they have inserted a career page on their website. In other words, EWPN is actually starting to generate change in the financial sector. The most incredible thing about EWPN is the fact that it runs 100% on engine of these incredible volunteers who have the passion for change and impact.

The conversation is becoming more out there and that is a good thing. It is becoming a daily topic and shifting from an item on the CSR list to bringing benefits for companies. More tangible actions are implemented to ensure that it not just a tick on the box. Equality is more and more seen as a process that stars to benefit the companies and the women.

Still there is a lot of talking and not enough action. Too often, companies do what looks good for investors and they need to attract and retain talent, however, they don't completely believe in it. Huge budgets are allocated but that is not always useful in terms of bringing about real change. It doesn't necessarily add the right value or opportunities.

Millennials know what they want. They know their rights and they are more vocal. They have access to tools, internet and technology. As Martha says: "We can learn from the younger generation as they will teach the older generation how to be more inclusive."

We all have to realize that you have to attract, recruit and retain the whole population. We know we want to understand the consumer. So, women go out there and grab the opportunity! Be vocal and speak up. Be the change you want. If you see something you want to change, don't wait for somebody else to change it but start the process yourself.

Dining & Reading

Food is one of the easiest things to unite people. As Martha adds: "I love Ugali, a typical Kenyan food. It is a bit boring, like mashed potatoes, but you can eat it with vegetables or whatever you want. I can make it here and share my culture with my family here."

The book that Martha is reading right now is The women who run with the wolfs by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. The author tells us about the 'wild woman', the wise and ageless presence in the female psyche that gives women their creativity, energy and power. For centuries, the 'wild woman' has been repressed by a male-orientated value system which trivialises women's emotions. Using a combination of time-honoured stories and contemporary casework, Estes reveals that the 'wild woman' in us is innately healthy, passionate and wise.