Women cash in on top jobs

Press, 5 July 1983, Page 28

Women cash in on top jobs

GOING to borrow money was once as intimidating as visiting a funeral director.

Borrowers, caps in their hands, would don their best gear and were confronted by a serious-minded, sombresuited male executive who discussed dollars in funeral tones and usually gave the impression that unless you spoke in millions you were wasting his time.

Today, however, the money manager on the other side of the desk is more likely to be young, switched on, highly qualified... and a woman.

Broadbank has been a trend setter in taking women away from the drudge of typing and clerical duties and firing them into the front line of the battle for business.

The company now has six women who are managers of branch offices.

Broadbank personnel chief says the company

has no particular policy for employing women. “We have a large female staff throughout the country,” he says. “We have found in our business that women project themselves well. When it comes to promoting staff members to management positions the only thing that concerns us is that we have got the right person for the job. ”

Sandra Beuvink is 25, manager of Broadbank’s office in Henderson, Auckland, and is typical of the younger career woman the finance industry is attracting.

She graduated Bachelor of Commerce from Auckland University majoring in management studies and accounting. She has one paper remaining for her ACA crosscredit.

Sandra joined Broadbank as an administration officer. After eight months she was made a lending officerand two years ago took over at Henderson as manager.

“At first,” she says, “I found men a little

wary of me. I was a woman and I was young. Obviously they were used to dealing with male executives - but once I showed them that I knew what I was talking about, they accepted the fact.

“Women clients are much easier. Women prefer to deal with another woman. The secret of the finance business is to spend as much time with the client as possible and to be exact and clear in your advice. I think this ability comes easier to women.” Diana Mason is 36 and spent 10 years coming through the ranks of the company before being made manager at Takapuna. She gave away a five-year schoolteaching career to start at the bottom as an administration officer in Broadbank’s Auckland headquarters. Diana made manager after spells in the credit department, as a loans officer and as a branch investment manager. In 1981 she took over the Takapuna branch and now heads a staff of five.

“Women are good with money,” she says. “I suppose that’s why in most homes it’s the wife who looks after the family budget.”

Diana, too, has found difficulties dealing in finance with male customers.

“I’ve never let it worry me,” she declares. “After all there will always be some men who live in the dark ages.”

The latest of Broadbank’s women managers is Marion Maloney, recently promoted to run the new Papanui office in Christchurch.

Marion, at 40, was a late starter in the finance field having devoted most of her life to bringing up her two daughters and helping her husband in his taxi business.

She joined the company seven years ago as a part-time clerk, and worked her way through the credit, administration and accounting departments. The Papanui appointment came in April this year. Marion enjoys her job because she is happiest working with people and money.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that women are better than men in dealing with people,” she says. “In this business women have a better feel for the client.

“When you have a background of running family budgets, you can look at a client’s financial position and know instinctively whether he or she can afford to meet repayments and still remain solvent.”

Other women who manage company offices are Helen Powell (Wanganui), Vicki Price (Lambton Square. Wellington), Sue Thompson (Manners Street, Wellington) and Fran Tidey (Panmure, Auckland).

Broadbank is peppered with women in charge of important internal departments. Like Margaret Hay, in charge of the administration division and Bonnie Guilford, money market manager in Auckland. It may not be long before “yes sir” is being replaced by “yes ma’am” in the compands corridors of