WOMEN SOCIETIES ALLIANCE
The Full Story
“I had the initial idea of the Women Societies Alliance (“WSA”) when I was first exposed to the financial services industry and the inspiring senior women in finance during my first year at university.
Driven to pursue a career in this male-dominated industry, I sought out organisations and communities to help me build my network, skills and knowledge. I found the support I needed at the London School of Economics' Women in Business Society, where I had the most rewarding opportunities to serve in the committee as Head of Events and subsequently President. It was also during that time and through speaking with other female students at other universities that I became more aware of the gender gap in the industry.
I have been very fortunate to find a supportive community at the London School of Economics. However, many of my friends faced challenges in finding a similar support network.
It occurred to me that if we could unite all the Women in Finance and Business societies, we would build a much stronger community. Thus, we have founded the WSA – aiming to create the largest network of female students and connecting them with female professionals in the industry.”
— Kyra, Founder
OUR PURPOSE
GENDER EQUALITY
We aim to champion gender equality within the finance corporate environment through building a community for all female students across the UK and female professionals at our sponsor firms.
INDEPENDENCE & EXTENSIVE SCALE
We are unique in our independence from any university association and extensive scale of accessibility to an incredibly wide pool of talented female students with a keen interest in finance.
DIVERSE INITIATIVES
Our diverse and robust range of initiatives equip young women with the resources and opportunities to build their knowledge, skills and network in the financial industry.
STRONG FOUNDING TEAM
We are a young and fast-growing organisation whose founding team consists of extremely passionate and committed individuals who bring together a variety of skills and experiences. We are also honoured to have a dedicated board of Senior Advisors providing us with valuable guidance and advice in our journey.
THE TEAM
CEO, COO and Directors of WSA
HALICE CHUNG
Co-CEO and Director of WSA
Experiences: Internal Vice President and Head of Finance in UK Joint University Careers Society
JENA CURTIS
Co-CEO and Director of WSA
Experiences: Secretary and Social Media Manager of Oxford University Karate Club
Operations Team
CARA MAYNARD CONNOR
Legal and Operations Officer
Experience: Project Coordinator for Stockton Drilling's Specialist Projects
HASTI BADAMCHI
Legal and Operations Officer
Experience: BSc Management at the University of Nottingham
ZARA AZIZ KHATRI
Finance and Operations Officer
Experience: Business Analyst at Poplify (Digital Agency)
PRIYAL BABARIYA
Legal and Operations Officer
CLARICE LIM LI
Legal and Operations Officer
KHINE YA THAW
Finance Officer
Experience: Treasurer of University of Manchester's Management Society
JINGJING LU
Finance Officer
Experience: BSc Economics at KCL
External Partnerships: Societies Team
INÊS VINHA VIEIRA
Head of Societies Outreach
Experiences: BSc Economics at the University of Warwick
AMBER LIM
Societies Outreach Officer
Experiences: BSc Management at the University of Warwick
IMANE BELRHITI
Societies Outreach Officer
Experiences: Politics and Economics at LSE
ISHA GALA
Societies Outreach Officer
JACKIE WALKER
Societies Outreach Officer
MARYAM DORETTE MFOR MPECASSAH
Societies Outreach Officer
Experiences: Co-president of the City Univeristy Women Finance Society
NANAKI SINGH
Societies Outreach and Website Officer
Experiences: BASc Economics and Global Sustainable Development
DIA DEEPAK
Societies Outreach Officer
Experiences: BSc Anthropology at LSE
External Partnerships: Firms Team
ANAGHA PATIL
Head of Firms
Experience: Credit Suisse Steps to Success Scholar
TAN JIA REN
Firms Officer
VARSHINI PRABAGARAN
Firms Officer
Experience: BSc Accounting and Finance at the University of Warwick
WSA and External Partnerships: Organisations Team
JODI POH
Head of Organisations Outreach and WSA Alumni
Experience: BSc (Hons) Economics at the University of Warwick
AAVARITTI GUPTA
Organisations Outreach and WSA Alumni Officer
FLAVIA D BHIMASTYA
Organisations Outreach and WSA Alumni Officer
Experience: BSc Finance at the University of Lancaster
Marketing Team
TANISHKA SETHI
Head of Marketing
Experience: BA International Development at King’s College London, Spring Intern at Goldman Sachs & UBS
AMELIA HANCOCK
Marketing Officer
Experiences: BSc Economic History at LSE
SAMIN CHOWDHURY
Marketing Officer
Experiences: BSc Economics at the University of Warwick
QISTINA SUKRI
Marketing Officer
Experiences: Researcher for Cita Nita Project, Malaysia and Founder of Paws of KMB
SIMRAN KUMARI
Website Officer
Experience: BSc Economics at the University of Warwick, Spring Intern at Fidelity
NANAKI SINGH
Societies Outreach and Website Officer
Experiences: BASc Economics and Global Sustainable Development
Online Learning Hub (OLH) Team
MARIA BOU CHEDID
Co-Head of Online Learning Hub
Experience: Digital Change Catalyst (Placement year) at Honda Motor Europe, Student Ambassador for Maths Department at University Reading
ANGELINE SUE YIN TAN
Co-Head of Online Learning Hub
Experience: BSc Economics at LSE
CRYSTAL HARDY
Online Learning Hub Officer
Experience: BSc Economics at LSE
EMMA BELSHAW
Online Learning Hub Officer
Experience: BSc Natural Sciences, UCL
OLIWIA PIECUCH
Online Learning Hub Officer
SOPHIA AHMED
Online Learning Hub Officer
SANUJI KODITUWAKKU
Online Learning Hub Officer
Mentorship Team
DOMINIQUE TRINIDAD
Head of Mentorship
Experience: President of College Admissions Mentors for Peers in the Philippines
LILI JING
Mentorship Officer
Experience: BSc Economics at LSE
HAMNA ALI
Mentorship Officer
ALINA VEDINA
Mentorship Officer
Newsletter Team
SAINA SHARMA
Head of Newsletter
Experiences: Final Year BSc Economics Student at the University of Warwick and Market Research and Insights Intern
JENI MEI
Newsletter Officer
Experiences: Sponsorship Executive in UCL Data Science Society
ANUSHA KULKARNI
Newsletter Officer
Experiences: BSc Finance, Accounting and Management
AETHER LI
Newsletter Officer
Experiences: BA Politics and International Relations at SOAS, University of London
KAVINAA KURUNANITHY
Newsletter Officer
ELLIE ROBINSON
Newsletter Officer
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
KYRA CHENG JIAYING
Founder and Director of WSA
Co-CEO (Jan 2020 - Mar 2022)
Investment Banking Analyst at Morgan Stanley
KIM CELINE RIETHMÜLLER
Director of WSA
Co-CEO (Feb 2020 - Mar 2022)
Associate at AlpInvest Partners - The Carlyle Group
ANIKA MENON
Director of WSA (Mar 2022 - Aug 2023)
CEO & COO of WSA (Mar 2022 - Jan 2023)
Experience: Project Manager for Oxford University Pro Bono Working Group
HALICE CHUNG
Co-CEO and Director of WSA
Marketing Head (Jun 2022 - Jan 2023)
Experiences: Internal Vice President and Head of Finance in UK Joint University Careers Society
JENA CURTIS
Co-CEO and Director of WSA
Marketing (Jul 2022 - Jan 2023)
Experiences: Secretary and Social Media Manager of Oxford University Karate Club
SOFIYA MUSINA
COO and Director of WSA
Experiences: Co-Head of Strategy & Marketing at Warwick Finance Society
NETWORK OF SENIOR ADVISORS
EMILIE WEST
Emilie is a Coach and Branding Consultant empowering individuals and businesses to achieve their goals through developing authentic brands. Prior to setting up her own consultancy Emilie spent 14 years in Investment Banking holding several senior roles including Head of Leadership for RBS Corporate and Institutional Banking where she transformed leadership and wellbeing for 1000+ staff. Emilie has a degree in Economics from Warwick University and a degree in Nutritional Therapy from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition.
DEBORAH GILSHAN
Deborah provides strategic advice to institutional investors on investment stewardship and the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. She is an Ambassador for the 30% Club, the global market initiative to improve diversity, having been instrumental in leading the work of the 30% Club’s UK Investor Group. In October 2011, Deborah founded The 100% Club, a multi-sector alliance dedicated to the advancement of women. Deborah chairs the International Corporate Governance Network’s Ethics & Systemic Risk Committee, is a Fellow of ICSA: The Governance Institute and holds the CFA’s Investment Management Certificate. Deborah has been recognised for her work on empowering the female talent pipeline and promoting gender diversity.
TERRI LOSKA
Terri is a Managing Director at one of London’s leading recruitment consultancies where she leads the team that is solely dedicated to helping students to take their first crucial steps into the world of work. While assisting graduates to understand and achieve their full potential, right now and for the long term, Terri also consults with Dartmouth’s wider client base. Through partnering with the world’s business elite, Terri is able to impact global talent strategies in order to promote the creation of a more diverse workforce. Terri graduated from The Queen’s College, Oxford University with a 2.1 degree in Literae Humaniores.
2023/24 ROADMAP
