A Community for Yorkshire’s Senior Women in Finance
HerFinance Circle was founded by Headstar to bring together senior and aspiring female finance leaders across Yorkshire. We recognised that while women play a critical role in shaping the future of finance, there wasn’t a dedicated space for them to connect, share experiences and learn from one another. So, we built one.
HerFinance Circle gained great momentum right from the start, with over 100 women getting involved in the first two months. Since then the community has also been featured in the Yorkshire Post, the Yorkshire Times, Yahoo News, Global Woman Leader, the Yorkshire Evening Post and York Press, highlighting the impact it’s making in the region.
How the Community Began
HerFinance Circle was the brainchild of Headstar director Jenny Martin, and was launched in response to the stark gender imbalance in senior finance roles.
Despite progress in recent years, women remain significantly underrepresented in the most senior positions. Just 24% of the top boardroom roles, including the position of chief financial officer, in FTSE 150 companies are held by women. Fewer than one in five of the top 1% of earners in finance and professional services are women, and the sector’s gender pay gap remains around 22% – nearly double the UK average.
Jenny said the idea was born from a moment of reflection in her own role as a recruiter: “I was shortlisting for a £150k CFO role, and my list was overwhelmingly male. Despite excellent representation of women at financial controller level, there’s still a sharp drop-off when it comes to CFO and finance director positions, with C-suite finance roles still very male dominated. At Headstar, we’re proud that 50% of our board is female, but we also saw the urgent need to strengthen the pipeline of women stepping into top finance leadership.
That’s why we launched HerFinance Circle, a peer-led community for female CFOs, finance directors and aspiring leaders in Yorkshire. It gives women a chance to come together, share experiences, build confidence and connections, and support each other.”
How to Join The Community
HerFinance Circle is free to join and members can connect through a programme of regular events designed to provide mentoring, peer-to-peer advice, and honest conversations about navigating female leadership in finance.
These aren’t just networking drinks. We curate sessions designed to spark ideas and add real value, such as:
- Keynote talks from leading finance professionals
- Live panel discussions featuring CFOs at the top of their game
- Interactive sessions on emerging trends like AI and automation
In addition, there is also a member-only dedicated WhatsApp community – complete with sector-specific sub-groups such as CFOs-only, Women in Manufacturing, Women in Retail, and Women in Private Equity.
For updates and to join the HerFinance Circle community, email info@headstar.co.uk
Breaking The Glass Ceiling: Empowering More Women to Aspire To Director Positions
Ambition alone isn’t always enough to break through into senior leadership. Progress depends on opportunity, visibility and genuine support. In this short video below, HerFinance Circle founder Jenny Martin explores why women remain underrepresented in top finance roles – and how flexibility, confidence and inclusivity can open the door for more women to step into director-level positions.
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