Women in Leadership: Spotlight on Elaine Kennedy
ZEDRA’s Managing Director in Guernsey, Elaine Kennedy, shares her reflections on leadership, building client relationships and how small decisions can have big impacts.
How did you get into the industry?
I graduated from University College Dublin in the 1990s, and a friend suggested we try spending a few months on an island called Guernsey.
Long story short, I trained as an accountant and moved into the trust industry at Walbrook in 2005. I initially managed the Guernsey-based accounting function before moving into the world of employee benefit trusts, corporate work and private clients.
Over 20 years later, I am still at the same company that became ZEDRA, and I am now the Managing Director of ZEDRA Guernsey. What was meant to be a few months in Guernsey before travelling and then returning to Ireland for further study turned into something quite different. It shows you that life is often made up of what seem like small decisions that have a big impact.
What has been a key learning in your career?
There are a few but let’s start with this: every day should be a school day. Listening and learning never stop.
Great people are hard to find in our industry, so look after them. Have faith in your gut instinct, believe in your abilities and have the confidence to make decisions, even when they may be difficult.
What would you say to someone considering a career in your industry?
Don’t assume that because you haven’t got a business or financial services qualification this industry isn’t for you. It’s amazing how many people I see from entirely different careers make a complete change to financial services.
The key to success is excellent relationship-management skills and a focus on delivering a fantastic client experience. An enquiring mind is also a strength. Of course, integrity is essential in how you approach your work and will always shine through.
What are the opportunities and challenges you’re seeing in the industry?
The pace of technology and change is fierce. But we have a real opportunity to transform our industry for the better by harnessing it to make processes and experiences more efficient, allowing our teams to focus on delivering superior relationship management and support to our clients.
Our people are our greatest asset, and technology, AI and automation will give them even better tools to help them grow and improve our industry.
To find out more about how Elaine and our Guernsey team support clients locally and internationally, get in touch.
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Spotlight Series
Highlighting our many brilliant women in leadership who share how they got into the industry, their key learnings, and more…