May 16, 2023

My Northern Trust Journey – Kate Webber

I am Head of Product Strategy for Asset Servicing working out of our London office.

I’ve been at Northern Trust for nearly four years after having had a long career in Asset Servicing at a variety of organisations including custody banks, consulting and a FinTech. When deciding to move to Northern Trust, the culture of the firm was a hugely important factor for me. I’ve learnt that the culture of the firm – the written and the unwritten rules – play a very significant role for us all.

“For me, culture creates a sense of belonging in a firm and without belonging, nothing feels quite right and it’s impossible to settle or to succeed.”

Women in Asset Servicing

In my spare time, I also dedicate time to Women in Asset Servicing, a network I founded nearly 5 years ago. In my role now, my number one priority is in a support and mentoring capacity for the members.

The network has over 800 members today mostly in UK, but also in Ireland and the US. We put on regular events, both virtually and in person aimed at enabling our members to create their best outcomes whatever their career goals.

We recognise and encourage bravery in the workplace, but also the importance, particularly for women, to properly identify their true skills and aim for roles which can develop their ambitions.

Northern Trust actively supports and allows me to dedicate my time to Women in Asset Servicing. We are given two days off annually to devote to philanthropy, in addition to the month of October where all Northern Trust partners are encouraged to volunteer as part of our Achieve Greater Together program.

Culture is therefore beyond just what matters to me, I think that it’s important that I work for an organisation that enables me to be a role model for the many women who I support. Northern Trust does just that for me.

Culture and Talent

Culture on paper and a lived culture can be very different things in my experience. With the advent of social media, a company’s brand, culture and reputation can no longer be dictated by the organization itself.

Culture must be actively demonstrated to connect to purpose, enable the firm to make a positive impact, and be able to attract and retain talent in this competitive marketplace.

Career-impacting technology

The world is changing very quickly and we know that technology change will revolutionise our jobs in ways we are yet to fully understand. The interaction between humans and artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to create very positive outcomes for us all, but change, particularly change at this pace, is unsettling.

Keys to career success: curiosity and adaptability

Many young people recognise the imperative of curiosity and ongoing learning as part of their future careers. They will need to be adaptable. And so will the firms they work for.

As such, cultures will also need to adapt and start playing a greater emphasis not just on the here and now, but to enable learning and development of individual, modelling curiosity in ways that show its importance even beyond experience.

Here at Northern, we have over 800 courses in our internal Northern Trust University that all our people have access to and can use to drive their own career and career development.

Managers now need to be more emotionally skilled than ever before to support their workforce, understanding both the pressures and importance of connections. Northern Trust recognises this and this is why we are not content to rest on the laurels of a past successful culture and our heritage, but gradually adapt our culture for the future.

Organisations who can succeed in creating the important sense of belonging in a period of significant and rapid change, regardless of their heritage or being a so called new kid on the block, will have longevity and be a place where people truly belong and wish to work.

I work to build and further develop this culture here at Northern Trust and also try to proactively  support the careers of other women in asset servicing looking to build a career path that works for them and to help them find a place where they feel like they belong.

Careers at Northern Trust

Learn more about career opportunities at Northern Trust.