A recent women’s leadership event, EY Power Up, hosted by Azteca Group at its New Jersey offices brought together women from a variety of industries.
The sold-out event was dedicated to empowering women in leadership roles and the important roles they play in guiding and supporting the professional growth of others.
The EY Power Up program is part of Women at EY. The Fast Forward platform is the cornerstone of our efforts to advance gender equality. The event was led by Natasa Nikolic, EMEIA Women at EY. Fast Forward leaders, along with facilitators Margo Blondel, CI Marketing and Business Development Director, and Nikolin Almatas, Senior Manager of Assurance, participated in an interactive exercise designed to increase participant engagement and develop key leadership competencies. and featured stimulating table discussions.
EY Power Up is an experience-driven program designed to strengthen the skills, knowledge and abilities essential for women to demonstrate true confidence, manage their careers purposefully, expand their networks and strengthen their communications. is. The program aims to break down barriers to gender equality, promote strong communication, foster success, and deliver key actions that help women overcome self-limiting behaviors and realize their potential. is to explore.
The audience heard from spotlight speaker Kathryn Purves, CEO of Aztec Group, who shared top tips for projecting confidence and taking control of your career.
Kathryn Purves
Kathryn said: “For me, confidence comes when you are happy with who you are and what you want in life. On average, women only applied for jobs if they met 80% of the requirements, and were often encouraged or asked for new roles or promotions. Having a mentor who pushes you when you don’t feel like you’re at 80% and encourages you to ask questions and participate in the conversation helps build confidence.
“It’s also about being authentic and trusting the value that your unique perspective and skill set brings. Do the little things that work for you and help you do your job to the best of your ability.” Everything you find out will help you build authentic confidence.”
Annemarie Robinson, EY Tax Senior Manager and the night’s second spotlight speaker, went on to discuss the importance of networking for career development. Anne-Marie recently returned to Jersey from a secondment in London, where she was Chief of Staff to Omar Ali, EY’s EMEIA Financial Services Regional Managing Partner.
annemarie robinson
Anne-Marie explained that the role would have been extremely difficult without the network of people around her. Support and connection to make things happen. Over time, I attended networking events and conferences, reaching out to people both inside and outside of EY to build connections and develop relationships. This is when it became clear how willing people are to help you and see you succeed.
“For anyone who is unsure about networking or where to start, I encourage you to be proactive and build connections with people from as many different levels and backgrounds as possible. Expand your network and make connections. It’s also important to remember that building relationships is actually a two-way street: It’s not just about what you get out of the relationship, but what value you add to the other person. It’s about whether you can do it.”
The event concluded with our final spotlight speaker, Debbie Reeve, Co-Head of Client Onboarding at Aztec Group, sharing her experience on the power of effective communication when managing teams.
Debbie concluded the event with this: “In any communication, it is important to be transparent, be proactive rather than reactive (as much as possible), tailor your message according to your audience, and make sure you are using the right channels. Communication in a coaching environment can be used to play back your message as a way of “holding a mirror up” to the person you are coaching, but leaving space to allow the other person enough time to reach their own conclusions. You can also. Strong communication skills are demonstrated not only by active dialogue but also by remaining silent.
“My key lessons for those leading teams are to be consistent in your communication, do what you say, be willing to listen and act on the feedback you receive, and use your communication skills to empower those around you. By using communication effectively, you can build trust as a leader and ultimately improve your team.”
Photo: Left to right – Natasa Nikolic, Kathryn Purves, Nicoline Armatas, Margo Blondell, Debbie Reeve, Annmarie Robinson, Candy Lim – EY Table Coach
