Women in Finance, the podcast series that is part of our FinHeads, interviewing key women in finance. In this episode, Sharon Kavanagh-Banks agreed to to tell us about her expertise and the background of her entrepreneurial journey. Sharon came a long way from Ireland to meet us in our parisian studio because that's where she is based. There, she founded a tech company with a colleague in 2012 to fix the many pain points she had encountered during an extensive multi-disciplined career in automotive. Since then, she sold her company to Sopra Banking Software in order to scale her product for the Global market. And now she is Global VP Digital Audit at Sopra Banking Software (SBS). How did it all start? Why did she choose to sell her company to SBS? What does it feel to work for a company after being on her own for 9 years? Has she ever experienced “impostor syndrome” as a woman in a traditionally mal dominated sector? And what advice might she has for people who feel they suffer from this? etc. She shares personal and professional anecdotes about her career path, her profession and her vision about the role of women in finance… From an airport phone call - that changed her life - to a business meeting where she was mistaken for a secretary when in fact she was the boss, Sharon tells us how her experiences have shaped the ambitious woman she is today. Depending on your personal aspirations, you may be particularly interested in : 00:00 - Introduction : Sharon in a nutshell 01:26 - The most important lesson she learnt over the years 02:00 - How a phone call changed her life forever 06:34 - Personal challenges positively influenced her career 12:52 - The many pain points Sharon fixed with her company 20:05 - Working for SBS vs being a small business owner 27:44 - Tips to become a business owner and traps to avoid 32:14 - Why she decided to sell her company 33:56 - What Sharon envisions for the future of her business 36:32 - What about women in finance? 41:05 - The hindrances that once held her back 47:34 - The role models who got Sharon to where she is today Enjoy!