Tamara Gillan

Tamara Gillan

Kiki's Woman of the month is the inspiring Tamara Gillan. A champion of diversity, female empowerment and a natural born collaborator, Tamara is the founder of The WealthiHer Network UK, which brings together the UK's leading financial institutions, to work in partnership for the first time to celebrate and support the education and enhancement of women in the financial sector. 

 

 

Tell us a bit about your businesses and the inspiration behind them?

My story is one of two sides. Coming from an entrepreneurial family, my father is a massive inspiration to me. As a Londoner born in the war, he believed the harder you work, the luckier you get; if you have an appetite to go for it, you can do anything and everything. And he did it all, from wine to property!

I spent the latter part of my childhood growing up in New Zealand with my family, New Zealand being my mother’s home. She is from a family of eight, six strong females with an amazing grandmother.

At 24, I came to London, meeting my own personal deadline by starting my first business at 30.  It was a marketing agency, and I wanted to champion people partnering and collaborating to do more extraordinary things together. My experience here was a significant part of the route to WealthiHer, which I launched on International Womens’ Day 2019. Our mission was clear and simple: to economically empower and advance women, blend the two sides of my background, and bring together the financial services industry to understand and champion women like never before.

 

You work with a specialist women’s insight team can you tell us about that?

WealthiHer’s mission was founded on - and continues to be fuelled by - insight and research. When we first launched, it was off the back of an in-depth report into what matters to women. 

Research has always been a clear starting point for us: simply put, you cannot change what you do not understand. So what our global research seeks to highlight is, firstly, the problems facing women. From here, we can identify where purposeful change is needed to better empower women financially and ensure they are better served to prosper, particularly in these challenging times.

 

What is the main mission for the WealthiHer network?

Our mission at WealthiHer is to drive the economic advancement and empowerment of women on a global scale. Together, we use our collaborative knowledge and expertise to unlock the value of women for themselves, each other, and society. Together we are stronger. And together, we have a better tomorrow to build for the benefit of everyone.

  

What have you found to be the biggest challenges?

I have two babies: my son - first and foremost - and, secondly, my business. As a result, I sometimes find myself forgetting to make time to check in with myself. 

It's tough to balance it all, whether it's motherhood (I'm a single mother) or being a leader. Motherhood is a constant balancing act - no more to add there! But similarly, being a leader comes with the challenge of maintaining an eye on the big vision and doing good, while also finding time for yourself. I think anyone and everyone who has gone through this pandemic has found the stretch of those demands even harder than usual. 

Leading a business through turbulent times is always challenging. I'm surrounded and supported by a strong female team, but the care burden of Covid-19 has impacted us all. It has been a hard time for everyone, but I've been so humbled by the support we have given one another and I believe we are coming out the other side, stronger and more unified than ever.

 

What 3 words would you use to describe yourself?

Honest, courageous, and ambitious.

 

What is your greatest achievement?

I was incredibly privileged to open the London Stock Exchange when Fearless Girl was in Paternoster Square as a symbol of feminine strength and the protection of female futures.  

It was an incredible career-defining moment. With over 100 women and a few good men standing with me to open the London Stock Exchange, we looked forward to changing the world. Seeing this in context, in 1975 - the year I was born - a woman couldn’t open a bank account without her husband or father’s permission; this felt like an incredible moment of change. But, of course, there is still lots to do to drive female equality, and I feel inspired that I can continue to be part of this drive. 

 

What makes you feel powerful?

Doing good things for those I love. Knocking over my goals (and they are always very big goals) whilst wearing fabulous shoes and on occasion rewarding myself with a beautiful piece of jewellery.

 


What advice could you give to aspiring female entrepreneurs?

Start. So many people think of a business, and they don’t just start; I have seen people spend years planning and pontificating. That being said, research, know your market, know your strengths, believe in yourself and surround yourself with good people that you can take on the journey with you. 

As my father said, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it, and they are not.

What / who inspires you?

My parents. Both my mother and father inspire me for different reasons. My mother was all about the power and importance of education and having a strong sense of sisterhood. On the other side, my father was about entrepreneurial spirit, taking a chance and believing that you can and having the fortitude and resilience to see it through.

 

How would you best describe your style?

As I’ve got older, I’ve tended to try and forget some of my eclectic passions of youth, but I still love bright colours and making a statement.

 

Do you have any favourite pieces of Kiki Jewellery?

There are so many beautiful pieces; it is tough to choose! I love wearing earrings and the Kiki Diamond hoops in Yellow Gold are so versatile, elegant and simple but with sparkle, building on this look I love how you can add the Kiki Cushion Peridot Drop for added impact and colour. A couple of other pieces I adore include the stunning Fantasy Large Lemon Quartz and Diamond Pendant in Yellow Gold and the fabulous Ripple Rings. I also fell in love with the Peridot ring I wore for the shoot. 

 

What does the future hold for you?

We still have so much work to do at WealthiHer, and I'm excited to continue our mission, striving to build a better tomorrow for the next generation. My wish is for my son to become a great feminist and inspire him to always fight for what is right.

 

Anything you wish to add?

It's so wonderful to have the opportunity to reflect on these questions, as I so rarely have the time to take a moment to take stock. To all women, look after yourself, take a moment, aim big and believe you can.