Anita Fernqvist, Chief Operating Officer at LV=
Celebrating success and inspiring more people to see the opportunities available across the sector. Anita Fernqvist, Chief Operating Officer at LV=, shares her insights.
The financial services industry offers a far wider range of career opportunities than many people might realise, yet for some, a career in the sector can still feel out of reach.
As headline sponsor of this year's Women in Financial Advice Awards (WIFA), I'm proud that LV= is once again celebrating the women making a difference across financial services.
At a time when women remain under-represented in financial services, the awards provide an important platform to showcase talent, raise the profile of role models and demonstrate what is possible. We want more women to see the sector as somewhere they can build and progress their careers, and the awards show what's possible.
Advisers and paraplanners are often front of mind when people think about careers in finance, but the opportunities are much broader, including customer service, technology, operations, leadership and marketing. And you don't have to start in financial services to build a career in it.
My own career is proof that there is no single route into the industry. I didn't necessarily set out to work in financial services, starting my professional journey in technology before finding opportunities to apply those skills across transformation, data and operational leadership.
Every role has given me the chance to learn and develop, and that breadth of opportunity is one of the things that has kept me engaged throughout my career. It's also why I think we need to do more to show people just how many different routes into, and through, our sector exist.
As an industry, there is much more focus on attracting and developing talent from diverse and broad backgrounds and highlighting the careers on offer.
Someone 'like them'
LV's research with the Social Mobility Foundation* found that just two in five young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds believe a career in financial services is open to someone ‘like them'. Not knowing the right people, limited access to work experience and a lack of local opportunities can all create barriers.
Breaking down those barriers means widening access and helping more people see the sector as somewhere they can build a career. At LV=, our work with The King's Trust supports young people to build skills and access opportunities, alongside our wider commitment to improving female representation across the industry.
This is another reason why WIFA matters. Seeing people with different backgrounds and career journeys succeed can challenge perceptions of who financial services is for and encourage others to think: I could do that too.
For anyone considering a career in the sector, my advice is simple: stay curious, back yourself and be open to opportunities. Find role models, mentors and sponsors who will challenge and support you, and don't be afraid to take a route that looks different from those who came before.
By celebrating success and making different career paths more visible, we can encourage more people to see a place for themselves in financial services. And that can only help make our industry stronger.
Anita Fernqvist is Chief Operating Officer at LV=
*The Unheard Voices research was carried out by Platypus Research on behalf of the Social Mobility Foundation (SMF), in partnership with LV=. Fieldwork was conducted between 5 June – 3 July 2025.
