For centuries, finance has been a boys' club, but while the industry was busy setting its own rules, women were quietly rewriting them. From Wall Street to the Middle East, from regulators to risk-takers, these powerhouse women didn’t just break through the glass ceiling, they shattered it.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, let’s honour the women who have shaped, and continue to shape, the financial world. While the list of bright and brilliant women in finance is endless, these remarkable leaders stand out for their groundbreaking achievements, resilience, and undeniable impact on the industry.
The First Woman of Wall Street
Muriel “Mickie” Siebert was nothing short of a revolutionary. In 1967, she became the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. Muriel Siebert left Wall Street no choice but to make space for her and the many women who followed in her footsteps. She later founded Muriel Siebert & Co., proving that the future of finance wasn’t just male, it was female, too.
The “Witch of Wall Street”
Before Warren Buffett, before hedge fund billionaires, there was Hetty Green. A self-made visionary in the 19th century, she built her fortune through real estate, railroads, and government bonds, at a time when women weren’t even supposed to control their own finances. Hetty Green was known as ‘the richest woman in America’, those who knew her well admiringly called her the ‘Queen of Wall Street’, while others referred to her as the ‘Witch of Wall Street’; either way, she proved that financial acumen knows no gender.
The Regulator Who Saw It Coming
Imagine warning Wall Street about a financial crisis a decade before it happened, only to be ignored. That is exactly what happened to Brooksley Born as Chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission in the 1990s. She sounded the alarm on unregulated derivatives, but her concerns were dismissed. Fast forward to 2008, and the collapse she predicted unfolded. History may not have listened then, but today, she’s hailed as a visionary.
The CFO Who Rewrote HSBC’s History
It only took HSBC 160 years to name a female Chief Financial Officer, but in October 2024, Pam Kaur proved that perseverance and expertise pay off. With a formidable background in risk and compliance, her appointment isn’t just a milestone, it’s a statement.
The CEO Championing Women in Finance
At Aviva, Amanda Blanc isn’t just leading an insurance empire, she is leading a movement. As the UK’s Women in Finance Champion, she’s pushing for gender balance across the industry, proving that a seat at the boardroom table should never be reserved for just one kind of leader. Her mission is to promote gender balance across the industry, to ensure that finance is no longer a space where women are the exception, but the expectation.
The Woman Who Transformed Saudi Banking
In 2017, Rania Nashar became the first female CEO of Saudi Arabia’s Samba Financial Group, a groundbreaking moment in a region where finance was traditionally a man’s world. Her leadership signaled a shift not just for Saudi Arabia, but for women in finance everywhere. Her story doesn’t just break barriers, it rewrites the rules entirely.
The Watchdog of Global Finance
Nancy Onyango’s leadership has been integral to ensuring integrity and transparency of financial operations worldwide following her appointment as Director of the Office of Internal Audit and Inspection at the International Monetary Fund. Nancy Onyango doesn’t just oversee compliance, she defines it. In an industry built on trust, Onyango is making sure the financial world stays transparent, accountable, and fair.
The Nobel Prize Winning Economist
Finance isn’t just about numbers, it’s about systems, governance, and policy. No one understood that better than Elinor Ostrom, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. Elinor Ostrom’s groundbreaking work on economic governance and commons theory reshaped financial policies across the world.
The Power of a Woman's Presence
These women didn’t just succeed in finance, they transformed it. They proved that intelligence, resilience, and ambition can take a woman to the highest levels of power, no matter how rigid the industry may seem.
To every woman climbing the corporate ladder, advocating her worth, or taking control of her financial future, know that you belong at the table; the future of the financial industry isn’t just bright, it’s brilliantly female.
Written by Andie Henderson, Legal and Compliance Associate, FAI Comply