Katrina Arnold has been a member of In Touch since 2017 and was an expert panellist at our networking event ‘How to Build a Portfolio Career’ last year. Soon after joining the network, she secured a role with Fintech startup, Fiinu, one of three board roles she currently holds. Read our latest success story to hear how Katrina transitioned to life as a non-executive director and the advice she’d give to others looking to making the change.
Who is Katrina Arnold?
Katrina spent 40 years in the banking industry, before leaving in 2017 to pursue a portfolio career. Starting off on the counter at The Commonwealth Bank of Australia in 1977, she ended up as the Global Head of Compliance Monitoring and Testing for HSBC’s Global Banking and Markets business in a corporate career that also took in a stint as a senior supervisor at the Financial Services Authority. Katrina’s particular areas of expertise, acquired over her distinguished career, include Governance, Risk Management, Financial Crime Compliance and Remedial Situations.
Why did Katrina become a member?
Initially, Katrina struggled to adjust to such a seismic shift in her professional life; ‘When I first made my career transition I had hideous self-doubt, which is simply human nature’, Worried that opportunities weren’t flooding in as she had hoped, Katrina felt isolated and deflated. Having been a senior executive at HSBC, somebody everyone had wanted to network and meet with, she came to the feel that she was ‘just the lady who lives at number 10’.
Realising that the portfolio careers market was a far cry from the corporate finance world, Katrina registered her interest to join In Touch and decided to investigate a little further. She contacted a member who had endorsed the network and was told that it was one of the best investments that he had ever made.
What has she has achieved since becoming a member?
Katrina secured a role through In Touch shortly after joining, in what she says was a ‘very slick process’. She was contacted 2 hours after applying for the role and six weeks later, after meeting the Chair and Chief Executive, she was welcomed onboard as a non-executive director of FIINU, a company currently working through the UK banking licensing process.
Katrina’s background in traditional banking added some balance to a company who innovatively utilises cutting edge technology to extend credit to underbanked customers. Drawing on her extensive expertise and experience, Katrina has worked with the CEO and fellow board members to work through the Bank of England authorisation process, helping develop operational strategy and advising on conduct and the fair treatment of customers.
She also sits on the boards of a further two banks, Bira Bank and FBN bank. Despite this weight of responsibility, Katrina has managed to maintain the life-work balance she set out to achieve when she transitioned to a portfolio career. ‘I have 115 days of contracted commitment, and that more than pays the bills’. With a portfolio career I very rarely work a full day which is amazing, and I have plenty of time to play, pursue other interests, and network which usually means a leisurely lunch or coffee – what’s not to like?’
Advice for anyone starting out on the network
Katrina particularly enjoyed the webinars and appreciates the added-value of CPD accreditation. As a NED one has to be current and up to date. Good webinars and relevant events are truly invaluable. Katrina says she does more training, research, and CPD now than when an employee..
She also strongly recommends getting a CV rewrite, as a non-executive resume is ‘very, very different’ to a conventional CV and will be a powerful tool in the search for a board role. The importance of networking cannot be underestimated either – two of Katrina’s board roles came through her network, with contacts recommending her to others. Once established as a NED keep networking – it’s a small world and maintaining deep established contacts will prove invaluable.
Finally, she champions being proactive and tenacious; ‘Access your jobs board every day, get your applications in promptly and don’t be disappointed if you don’t hear back.’
Would Katrina recommend coaching?
Several years ago, having attained a senior role with Barclays Capital, a role for which she had a total of 18 interviews and which she describes as ‘a hideous mistake on both sides’ Katrina decided it was time to get professional advice about how to build her career. This coaching extended some years later into helping her transition from full time employee to portfolio NED.
Katrina has a very strong relationship with her coach who she thinks of as both a mentor and a friend but, she says, ‘he really puts me through my paces’. Having received an offer 12 weeks after her NED coaching began, she strongly advises investing in coaching and sees it as a ‘faster route to where you want to be, with a guaranteed ROI’. A good coach will be with you all the way and is worth every penny.
