‘A successful leader inspires, supports and follows through on their promises’

In our latest Women in Finance Interview, Tony Sanchez speaks to Jodie Worswick, Specialist Finance Account Manager at Precise.

Jodie is a specialist finance account manager (SFAM) and part of the Precise Bridging team.

Having supported brokers in North West England for the last eight years, Jodie has developed a deep understanding of the market, from starting out with a high street bank all the way through to having expertise in the specialist finance sector.

Her diverse background allows her to approach lending with a well-rounded perspective, ensuring the best possible outcomes for clients and brokers.

Focusing on all things bridging, she’s keen to develop existing broker relationships and build new ones along the way for regulated and unregulated bridging finance opportunities.

What brought you into financial services?

I entered the financial industry when I was 18 and it followed on from a conversation with someone I knew who was already in the mortgage industry.

This person was very passionate about the industry and the ability to help people with one of the biggest decisions to get onto the property ladder.

Curiosity from this conversation led me to investigate mortgages and the wider world of finance and seeing the opportunities available and the potential to build a strong career, really appealed to me.

It’s an industry which entails constant learning, challenges that pushes me to grow, and the ability to make a real difference.

Lending is one of those areas where hard work, hunger and expertise really matter, and that’s been a huge driver for me.

However, without the connection of someone I knew being in the industry, I don’t think I would have ever considered it as during my time at school, it wasn’t something we were taught.

I do hope this is changing as I do really feel that finance needs to be introduced to young people in schools, setting them up for the world of work and life as an adult.

What do you think makes a successful leader? And in particular women leaders?

I think a successful leader is someone who can inspire and guide their team while also creating an environment where people feel valued, supported, and motivated to do their best.

For women leaders, I believe success often comes from embracing authenticity and resilience.

Women bring unique perspectives and often lead with emotional intelligence, which can help build strong relationships and inclusive cultures.

A successful woman leader shows that strength and empathy can go hand in hand, and that leadership doesn’t have to fit into a single mould.

What are the biggest barriers you have faced in your career in financial services?

Being only 18 when I entered the industry, I would get comments around my experience or lack of as such, which at the time was a bit daunting but it certainly didn’t create a barrier for me, in fact it challenged me want to do it even more!

I don’t think I’ve ever felt there were any external barriers, perhaps they were more internal, created by myself.

When I was a telephone BDM, I really struggled to see myself as a field-based BDM as I wondered if technology would fulfil these types of roles instead of being human led.

At the time, there were also a lot of redundancies being made by big banks so it really did make me question what my career path could look like, especially since seeing and hearing about all the advancements in AI.

Being in a field-based role, the human interaction in the lender/broker relationships is vital and something that can’t be replaced by AI.

This is especially true when there are complex factors to navigate which can be commonplace in the specialist arena.

If you could tell your younger self one thing you know about business now, what would it be? 

I would tell myself that you can only grow by going outside of your comfort zone, every challenge is an opportunity to gain experience and develop.

Also, business is as much about people as it is about numbers. Building relationships, listening, and collaborating is so important.

What’s your own personal mantra?

My personal mantra is ‘Step in with confidence, grow with experience.’

For me, it’s about not waiting until I feel completely ready to take on an opportunity but trusting myself to rise to the challenge and learn along the way.

What do you think is key for finding a successful work-life balance?

The role of a SFAM or BDM isn’t your typical 9am-5pm working day, but I don’t think that is limited to my role, as work life is much more flexible today. But we all need to have the ability to ‘switch off’.

I do claim my weekends and I fully switch off for holidays but I am very safe in the knowledge that I work as part of an amazing team of people so if I’m not about for any reason, there will be someone on hand to help my brokers.

Since joining OSB Group, it’s the first time I have ever felt confident leaving my brokers in safe hands when I am not around.

As a team of SFAMs we really do look after each other’s patches when needed and we have Amit Kumar, our office BDM, who has a huge amount of expertise and experience around bridging and the wider specialist landscape too.

What’s one key leadership lesson you’ve learned along the way?

One key leadership lesson I’ve learned is that it is so important to follow through with the promises you make.

It builds trust and commitment from those they are leading, without that, it’s difficult for people to be guided effectively and can often result in disjointed and chaotic environments.

What advice do you have for women aiming for leadership positions?

My advice for women aiming for leadership positions is to have confidence in your abilities and not be afraid to put yourself forward, even if you don’t feel 100% ready.

The worst that can happen is you don’t secure the role you were applying for, but that is more of a learning experience and good for reflection too.

It doesn’t mean you will never secure that role either, it will help to highlight how best to get there.

What do you think is holding women back?

I do feel there are internal factors in play in many situations where women feel ‘held back’, women can sometimes underestimate their own abilities or hesitate to put themselves forward due to imposter syndrome or similar thoughts.

This can lead to them waiting until they feel ‘perfectly ready’ which I don’t think anyone ever feels perfectly ready.

Do you think there is still a glass ceiling?

I don’t think there’s a glass ceiling in the same way there perhaps used to be.

There are still challenges, but I’ve seen that opportunities for women in leadership are expanding and at the end of 2024, OSB Group recorded 36.1% of senior management positions within the UK undertaken by female employees.

Also reported at the same time, around 56% of our UK workforce was female similarly almost 54% of employees who joined us in 2024 were female.

I think this is a good reflection on how OSB Group values diversification across its workforce and proves the Groups success in removing potential barriers.

I do believe that success often comes down to confidence, skills, and perseverance.

The number of courses and guidance available through our People Development team on this area is a breath of fresh air and something I feel passionately about.

What are your thoughts on the Women in Finance Charter?

The Women in Finance Charter (WIFC) is still new to me, I wasn’t aware of it before I started at OSB Group but it’s clear to see the Group’s commitment.

The group offers a great range of family and health related benefits which they have recently enhanced further, these additional wellbeing opportunities are really inclusive and supportive.

I have noted the commitment by OSB Group to achieving 40% of senior management positions being held by women by the end of 2026.

I think it could be easy to see this as a tick box exercise that would fall into a blackhole, never to be reviewed but this plan really does exhibit a real drive to achieve this over the long term, not just short term ‘wins’.

How do we encourage more women into financial services? 

I don’t think this is gender specific, I think it’s important for us to build a solid foundation with our local communities and schools to connect with students who may not have yet considered financial services as a career choice.

I am really impressed with the number of different programmes available to young talent and early careers here at OSB Group such as apprenticeship schemes and work experience week, both of which have a strong focus on social mobility.

Seeing young people in our Wolverhampton and Chatham offices has been great, providing students with exposure to working life as well as a look at the career paths available in the financial services industry.

The gender pay gap is only second worst to the construction industry. What can organisations do to address this?

OSB Group is making clear progress in closing the gap and are a signatory of HM Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter (WIFC).

If we are looking more generally within the industry to close the gap, organisations need to ensure they are making pay fair, gender should not be a factor in income.

I feel it’s also key to make sure promotions are transparent with opportunities for women to develop being clearly available and well supported by all senior stakeholders.

 What is your biggest achievement to date?

My biggest achievement is building a strong career in financial services by the early age of 27, working and contributing to such to a well-recognised organisation, and achieving more than I ever expected at this stage in my life.

I am also proud that I became a homeowner by the age of 20, something that isn’t even considered a possibility by many at that age.

I worked hard to achieve this but I do feel my knowledge and experience in the industry played a huge part in making this a reality.

This comes back to my points earlier about getting young people educated and talking about financial wellbeing, the earlier they are introduced to the world of finance, the more confident and aware they will become, perhaps helping to pave their financial futures from an earlier age.

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