Valerie Moran from London FinTech PFS, was the keynote speaker at the Women in Tech event in London this week.
She is the richest black woman in the UK and the only black female ever featured in the 31-edition history of the Rich List.
“Change in the UK needs to be nurtured at the grass roots level and starts with education. Diversity and inclusion should be embedded in companies as a key strategy of growth. We must look to society and government to act on racial equality in the workplace and ask why ethnic minorities may not be in high paying jobs. Support and mentoring programmes should also be encouraged. Diversity is a huge differentiator,” said Valerie.
Valerie is Head of Operations and Client Relations at PFS (Prepaid Financial Services) in London. The company, which was originally an Irish Fintech startup, is a majority ‘Women-In-Tech’ employer with a 57.6% female workforce.
It is also comprised of 43.2% ethnic minorities as well as employees from the LGBT and Neurodiversity* communities.
Valerie said the UK's diversity, inclusion and Neurodiversity statistics must improve.
The Women in Tech event was hosted by Tech London Advocates and attended by over 200 people. It was founded by Flavilla Fongang, who recently shared the same stage as French President, Emmanuel Macron, at the Élysée Palace in Paris where she spoke about uplifting Africa.
* Neurodiversity is a concept where neurological differences are to be recognised and respected as any other human variation. These differences can include those labelled with Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyscalculia, Autistic Spectrum, Tourette Syndrome, and others.
