Inspirational Woman: Marianne Gilmore | CEO for UK International Payments, Moneycorp

Tell us a bit about yourself, background and your current role

My name is Marianne Gilmore, and I’m the CEO for UK International Payments at Moneycorp.

In the lead-up to becoming CEO for our UK business, I’ve held a range of positions throughout the organisation, including Commercial Director, UK Managing Director and Group Sales Operations Director – all of which has influenced my perspective today. As a keen traveller, I have been fortunate to hold several roles that have involved considerable international travel, allowing me to experience other cultures from a business/corporate perspective.

Outside of work, having had a childhood dream of becoming an airline pilot, I gained my Private Pilot’s Licence (PA28) whilst studying for my degree in mechanical and aeronautical engineering. I’m also hugely passionate about animals and Brentford Football club – but please don’t hold that against me!

Did you ever sit down and plan your career?

I don’t think there was a moment early in my career when I took pen to paper and mapped out my future, but I always knew I wanted to be at the forefront of a business taking bold strides within its industry.  Like many school or university leavers, I was uncertain about my career path. I’d urge anyone coming to the end of their educational path to research graduate or school-leaver schemes as they enable you to identify your strengths and interests first-hand and in the workplace.

After completing my degree, an inspirational lecturer guided me into entering a graduate scheme which allowed me to test out different areas within a business, ranging from HR to finance and sales. Participating in the scheme helped affirm my interests in the commercial and management side of the business. While perhaps not the most obvious option for me, given my background, it turned out to be where I thrived.

Have you faced any challenges along the way?

I’ve been no stranger to challenges throughout my career, but they have always reinforced the value of having a supportive team and mentors around me.

The UK, in particular, has had a very challenging landscape over the last few years, which has directly impacted our sector. Brexit, for example, created a whole host of complexities, but it also presented a lot of opportunities for many individuals and businesses; in our case, we had to navigate migrating over 4500 customers and ensuring many things – including knowledge and standards – were shared and successfully transferred, with the focus being on minimising the impact to our customers and ensuring they continued to receive the highest possible service levels.

Challenges are an opportunity to learn and reflect – two things I strongly value.

What has been your biggest achievement to date?

I have had a number of achievements throughout my career, but I’m most proud to say that I’ve helped to dismantle the notion that the finance industry is a man’s world — especially the FX and payments sector. Those I’ve mentored during my career have gone from strength to strength, and I’m extremely proud to have played a small part in that.

Another big one for me is the role I’ve played in a number of projects at the heart of the organisation, particularly the ongoing geographical expansion of Moneycorp. Back in 2019, I helped Moneycorp expansion into South America’s leading foreign exchange and payments market with our acquisition in Brazil. I was also involved in Moneycorp’s US acquisition and integration, our UK/EU restructure, and the launch of our first fully-integrated white-labelled service offering.

I’m both excited and hopeful for what’s to come in the future.

How do you feel about mentoring? Have you mentored anyone or are you someone’s Mentee?

I’ve been fortunate enough to have had fantastic mentors throughout my career. In turn, it’s driven me to become a mentor myself and use my own experiences and background to be a source of guidance for other people.

As a mentor, I believe it’s crucial to empower individuals to make their own decisions. I’m there to be a sounding board who can outline the options available to them, not give them the answers – that’s for them to get to themselves.

My mentees have gone on to forge successful careers both in and outside of Moneycorp, and I couldn’t ask for a better outcome.

This year Moneycorp will be launching its female mentorship programme, designed to empower our workforce at every level.

What one thing do you believe has been a major factor in you achieving success? 

Having access to guidance from successful people who were generous enough to share their wisdom and time with me.

What is your next challenge and what are you hoping to achieve in the future?

Moneycorp is at a really exciting point in its history; we’ve grown up from our retail roots and established ourselves as a major player in the global payments arena, providing international banking and payments expertise to financial institutions, businesses and private individuals.

Our relentless focus on payment innovation for the benefit and ever-changing needs of our clients and the marketplace continues to drive us. It is evident in the partnerships and products we provide today, and we will be launching in 2023 and beyond. We’ll continue to challenge the rates and service levels offered to the market by our peers. I’m honoured to be playing my part in our growth story and that of the wider industry.

What do you think companies can do to support to progress the careers of women working in the finance industry?

It all starts with recruitment: recruit more women, and ensure you continue to offer opportunities to upskill the women in your workforce. With far too few women in senior roles, businesses don’t have time to waste.

I’m proud of the progress we’ve made at Moneycorp in creating an inclusive and diverse culture, especially for women early on in their career journey. We are hugely passionate about getting more women interested in financial careers, and our graduate opportunities have helped us to uncover hugely talented individuals.

We’re currently at 36% female representation, and this is represented all the way up to our most senior management roles. This is something we’re actively working on improving – so that, eventually, we achieve a fully gender-balanced workforce. If we can keep supporting and empowering women to join the financial industry early in their careers, then gradually, we contribute to beating the preconceived notion that this is a man’s industry.

What advice would you give to women interested in a career in payments and FX services specifically?

Don’t buy into the idea that this is an industry that a woman, or even you personally, can’t succeed in. Apply for that role, and you will find mentors who inspire you.

The finance and fintech sector is extremely challenging; however, you can build a career to be proud of if you take the leap. Graduate programmes are an excellent way in, offering the training, support and exposure that can help you thrive in this industry.

If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self what would it be?

You will have some failures from time to time- but more importantly, you will also succeed. Never dwell on your failures for too long; instead, take them as an opportunity to reflect and better prepare yourself for the next step you take.