HerFinance Circle to Support Women Finance Leaders in Yorkshire

• Older women in finance across Yorkshire are encouraged to become part of a new regional network
• The initiative, known as “HerFinance Circle”, was devised by Jenny Martin, director at finance recruiter Headstar
• The community seeks to help more women achieve positions of senior leadership in finance

High-profile female finance leaders in Yorkshire are now being invited to join a new regional community set up to help more women reach senior leadership roles in finance.

HerFinance Circle, set up by Jenny Martin, a director at specialist finance recruiter Headstar, was created to tackle the persistent gender gap in senior finance jobs.

Women are still underrepresented at the highest levels. Just 24 percent of women hold board-level jobs, including chief financial officer jobs, at FTSE 150 firms.

Less than one in every five of the highest paid 1 percent in finance and professional services is a woman, and the gender pay gap in the sector is about 22 percent, roughly double the UK average.

Jenny Martin explained that the idea for HerFinance Circle arose from her experience as a recruiter: “When shortlisting candidates for a £150k CFO role, my list was overwhelmingly male. While women are well represented at the financial controller level, there is a noticeable drop-off at CFO and finance director positions, with C-suite finance roles still largely male-dominated“.

At Headstar, we have 50 percent female membership on our board, but we definitely see a need to build the pipeline of women into senior finance positions.

That is why we are introducing HerFinance Circle—a peer-to-peer membership community for women CFOs, finance directors, and future leaders across Yorkshire.

It gives women a chance to make connections, hear their stories, gain confidence, and support one another.

HerFinance Circle is membership-free and already has more than 100 members. Members interact in a specific WhatsApp community with industry-specific subgroup chats, including CFOs-only, Women in Manufacturing, Women in Retail, and Women in Private Equity.

The community also has regular events centered around mentoring, peer-to-peer advice, and conversations on leading as a woman in finance.

The inaugural HerFinance Circle meeting will be held on Monday, 22nd September, 8:30 am – 11:00 am at Box in Leeds.

The session will include keynote on AI and automation by Carolyn Cole, Partner at Unity Advisory, and Alice Fee, Associate at Faculty, and then a panel discussion with senior CFOs and finance directors from private equity. There will also be networking opportunities throughout the morning. Spaces are limited and bookings can be made online.