Talent Talks supported by Scottish Widows – Details, episodes & analysis

Sarah chats to Lily McNally about her experience with money, what it means to be truly financially independent and how a frog and an elephant both feature! 

Lily is the design lead for the Scottish Widows app at Lloyds Banking Group. She’s all about designing experiences that are straightforward, engaging and delightful. To meet users where they are, help them do the things they want to do easily, and leave them feeling lighter. 

In the last few years, Lily has used her own lived experience and storytelling superpowers to really focus in on the unique barriers women face when it comes to financial independence - to support women in the UK to reach a better financial future.

Lily is also a strong advocate for greater representation in decision-making. She believes we need more women - and more lived experiences - “in the rooms where big decisions are made”, ensuring financial products and services truly reflect the people they serve.

Connect with Lily on LinkedIn.

In this first episode of season 7 Sarah chats with Rebecca Leiper, who is an Engagement Consultant at Scottish Widows, specialising in Workplace Pension engagement. She talks through getting her first payslip and why it pays to understand all of those different calculations, the importance of saving early into your pension and making and sticking to budget!

Rebecca  works closely with employers, advisers, and internal teams to design and deliver impactful campaigns, digital journeys, and member experiences that improve financial outcomes. Rebecca is particularly passionate about women’s financial wellbeing and closing the gender pension gap, contributing to industry reports, events, and thought leadership. Externally, Rebecca is involved in various networks within the industry including Scottish Financial Enterprise Young Professionals and Gender Equality Networks, Women in Banking and Finance, Future Asset and Her Wealth Network.

Scottish Widows Women & Retirement Report 2025

Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn

Shakaila Forbes-Bell is a Fashion Psychologist, consultant, TV commentator, founder of the platform 'Fashion is Psychology' and best-selling author of the book “Big Dress Energy”. Shakaila talks to Chimmy Ngoma about the connection between psychology and what we choose to wear, how that gives us confidence and how we can celebrate our identity through our personal brand.

She uses scientific research to uncover ‘the why behind the what’ when it comes to consumer behaviour and personal style choices. She has worked with global fashion brands, including Depop, Maybelline, Next, eBay and Calvin Klein, and is the current in-house fashion psychologist for Afterpay. She has by-lines in Mr Porter, Marie Claire and i-D, and has been featured in numerous global publications and TV shows, including Forbes, Vogue, ITV, Channel 5, Fox News 5 and many more. 

In this latest episode we welcome Akua Opong, a multi-award-winning speaker, who has over 15 years of experience in the financial and tech industries. A Chartered IT Professional with the British Computer Society, she is a recognised thought leader in Social Impact, CSR, ESG, Accessibility, Inclusion, and Gender Equality. She talks to our host Chimmy Ngoma about the importance of allyship and sponsorship and giving back to others.

Akua is a prominent UK advocate, championing women in tech, neurodiversity (ADHD/Dyslexia), accessibility, mental health, and social mobility. As a STEM ambassador, she advances women in STEM. Her leadership extends to charity roles as a Non-Executive Director and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Additionally, her commitment to sports is reflected in her work with England Netball and British Athletics. Passionate about building communities that drive change, Akua inspires global audiences to join her in striving for a more equitable future for women and girls.

Reference:

Akua Opong CITP MBCS FRSA | Instagram | Linktree

LinkedIn

In this episode, we are excited to chat with Gill Whitty-Collins, the author 'Why men win at work...and how we can make inequality history'. Our host, Chimmy Ngoma talks to Gill about finding your 'confident core' and how the sooner we find our super-powers, we ensure we reach happiness faster!

Gill was born near Liverpool in 1970, the youngest of three sisters. After attending the local comprehensive high school, went on to study at Cambridge University. Upon graduating, she joined Procter & Gamble, where she led global brands such as Olay, Always and Pantene. She swiftly moved up the ladder to Marketing Director, General Manager and finally Senior Vice President. Her story and vision will inspire you to join the force to make gender inequality history.

Additional Information:

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https://uk01.z.antigena.com/l/ovqO9bEmzzI1nEIxOGJLZcGbD1R9pvbQq7zDFfv6Z5R1yhKqZiuudh8u4PhlMkX661ZcS2xF1ltTGXVTdcfnZdfKmfnPDEfGeOHmwnOpWgDbn_n68iY77syzzFEQfQLABcw_DQC9JzhRvcK_Exu-xpfBKT2euQZs29eh6dibi6QETf~~hlEkHM5xvf5cj5~ZGlP1fcsB-mR 

Website: https://gillwhittycollins.com/

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/gillwhittycollins

Instagram : https://instagram.com/gillwhittycollins

Why Men Win at Work: ...and How We Can Make Inequality History

In this first episode of the new season for 2025, we are joined by Mary Agbesanwa, who is passionate about how technology is transforming the financial services industry, especially wealth management. Listen to her chat with host, Chimmy Ngoma about being your authentic self and super-connectors. How looking to help others when you're networking should come before self-promotion and how to use your emotional intelligence.

Mary has spent several years working as a Management Consultant at PWC, working with banks and fintechs looking to scale or adapt their business models. Currently working for Lloyds Banking Group as a sales director with the wealth management business. Outside of work, Mary runs a female professional community called the 'Now You're Talking Network' which has over 3,000 members from tech and financial services. She is a programme leader for Wharton Business School's Executive Presence & Influence and Entrepreneurship Acceleration programmes and a board trustee for Girl Guiding.

Mary's recent accolades include being a Precious Awards Winner 2024 - Outstanding Woman in Banking and Finance, Startups Magazine’s 23 Most Influential Womxn of 2023, Black Women in Asset Management 40 Under 40 Winner, Money 20/20 Europe VIP Speaker 2023, Brummell’s 30 Inspirational Women in the City list 2022, Black Tech Achievement Awards finalist, MCA Young Consultant of the Year finalist 2021, Innovate Finance Women in Fintech Powerlist 2020 and No.1 for the Global EMpower Future Leaders List 2020.

Find out more about Mary on her Linktree profile - here 

Or contact her via LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryagbesanwa/ 

In this episode we are joined by the superpower that is Samantha (Sam) Secomb, Founder of Women’s Wealth, an innovative unbiased financial advice and coaching service that specialises in empowering women to create fabulous financial futures for themselves. 

Laura chats to Sam about her career, where are all the female advisers, what the profession can offer in terms of career and what drives her passion for helping women unlock their potential with financial empowerment.

Sam is an award-winning adviser on a mission to democratise unbiased financial advice for women, both as investors and as financial planners. Sam was freed up when her son took over the family wealth management business to do an Exec MBA with Warwick Business Schools in preparation for launching her disruptive, subscription based, financial planning service which she describes as gym membership for financial fitness.

Highly qualified, decades of experience, a columnist for The Telegraph and fueled by HRT, she's on a mission to change things up for women regarding finance!

Resources:

• https://womens-wealth.co.uk
• https:/www.instagram.com/womenswealth.uk
• https:/linkedin.com/in/samanthasecomb
• Become a money mentor: A unique career - Powered by Verve
• Link to Sam’s research: Women’s career progression in the UK financial planning sector

In this episode we are joined by Faith Reynolds, a strategic adviser, experienced NED, chair and speaker. She is an adviser to the board at TISA and a non-exec director at Fair4All Finance. She's led a series of initiatives to improve communications and break down barriers to financial services and talks to us about getting women investing, what other women are doing in this space and 

Resources:

Website links for the research and UKFin+ mentioned during the podcast.

https://www.tisa.uk.com/inclusiveinvesting/

https://ukfin.network/

https://www.mentoramoney.com/

https://www.tisa.uk.com/tisa-oxera-joint-report/

Book - Money Mentor: 10 essential steps to do your future self a favour by Anna Brading 

Connect with Faith on LinkedIn

In this episode we talk to Susan Hope, Pension Specialist at Scottish Widows about taking control of your pension. Susan is a Chartered Financial Planner and is passionate about closing the gender pension gap. Her day job is helping individuals understand the tangible benefits of workplace savings and frequently talks on topics such as the financial implications of life events, particularly for women. This is not just a fun listen it's a must listen if you want to be the master of your future self and the life you want to have after you stop working. 

Several resources are mentioned in the podcast:
https://www.scottishwidows.co.uk/about-us/media-centre/reports/retirement-report.html
https://www.gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details
https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension
https://www.professionaladviser.com/opinion/4212715/daughters-deserve-closing-gender-pension-gap

In this episode, we are joined by Laura Burridge from Hargreaves Lansdown for over 8 years, starting a content writer and now marketing leads for Financially Fearless, share trading and value. Financially Fearless is an initiative which empowers women with their money. Laura wants to empower the next generation of female investors as it's predicted that 60% of the UK's wealth will be in the hands of women by 2025. She chats to Laura Mann from WiAS about to engage a female audience of investors and how her own situation made her realise this was something she had to take action on. To find out more about Financially Fearless, visit https://www.hl.co.uk/financially-fearless.