Spotlight on Sarah Guina, DOF of NDAX in honour of IWD.
Wednesday March 8th 2023 - International Women's Day, we asked our Director of Finance, Sarah Guina, a few questions about what it's like working in a traditionally male-dominated field and how change can happen in these sectors.
Sarah leads the finance function of the company in key areas, including finance, accounting, tax, reporting, budget, risk management, credit, and treasury. Before joining NDAX, Sarah spent more than ten years in public practice at a Big Four accounting firm, auditing financial results and internal controls of international public companies under Canadian and US standards. She is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta and has completed the Canadian Securities Institute Partners, Directors and Officers Course and the CFO (Chief Financial Officer) Qualifying Examination.
Here's what we asked her:
Q: What advice would you give to young women who are just starting out in their careers, particularly in fields that have traditionally been male-dominated?
A: My advice for young women starting their careers in male-dominated fields is to build a support system, seek out role models who can provide guidance and mentorship (whether as a formal mentor or not), and cultivate strategic allies who can advocate for your value and accomplishments when you aren't there to do so for yourself.
Once you have passed the initial learning curve and are established in your career, it is critical that you maintain self-confidence and not let the words or actions of others undermine your abilities. It can be challenging to filter out what feedback is valid and constructive versus biased. But you are the master of your own destiny. Every interaction is an opportunity to respond with insight and demonstrate your value, regardless of the intention of the messenger.
Finally, if you struggle with anxiety or thoughts of imposter syndrome, etc. it is critical that you find strategies to recognize, process and use these thoughts and emotions to increase your performance, rather than letting them affect your performance or dictate how you interact with others in your workplace. For example, rather than letting anxiety paralyze you, you can instead use this as an early warning system that is trying to tell you something – maybe this is an indicator that something requires your attention and focus, and that in turn will lead you to better results.
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Q: What do you think companies can do to create a more supportive and inclusive environment for women, and how have you seen your own company take steps in this direction?
A: As for companies trying to build a more inclusive environment – there are numerous resources out there and I’ll leave the specifics of building a D&I program to the HR professionals! However, in my experience this is just the start. I’ve heard that learners only retain 10% of what is read or heard in a lecture, which raises obvious questions about the effectiveness of simply doing a mandatory annual training. So, I think its critical this is embedded in the culture – you need a strong tone at the top where leaders put this into action and question themselves in real-time so that all employees are empowered to do the same.
With respect to NDAX – I’ve been so impressed with the team and consider myself fortunate to have joined this growing organization last year. The team embraces flexibility as a value, and does an exemplary job of focusing on the outcomes and respecting personal boundaries of all team members, regardless of what they are.
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