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Sangeeta Venkatesan’s, executive chair for FairVine Super and winner of Money Management and Super Review’s Women in Financial Services award for Innovator of the Year said her proudest moment was the launching of FairVine as it encapsulated everything to do with her life and who she is as a person.

She helped lead the launch of the fund in June 2019, which was specifically designed to meet the superannuation needs of Australian women.

She initially didn’t think there was a point to the concept, but after further consideration she felt the industry was not catered enough towards members, specifically in the case for women.

“Women have different life cycles, we have kids, take career breaks, we get into part-time employment or take time off to care for dependents,” Venkatesan said. 

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“I don’t think specifically women are socially excluded or denied power, money or equal opportunity. But I think there’s a unconscious bias where you tend to promote or look after people who are more like you.

“The same thing goes for superannuation, who designed this evaluation sector? Men. Therefore, the products are catered for men.”

With over 23 years of experience in banking and finance, Venkatesan has worked for major firms in Sydney, London, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

“I don’t think I want to call myself a feminist here, but of course, it’s a very male-dominated industry,” Venkatesan said.

“Before FairVine I worked with more male colleagues than female, when I was in London I was the only female in a team of 52 guys.”

She said women often needed to be more innovative, work harder or try looking at opportunities slightly differently.

“I feel that compared to my male counterparts, I have taken more risks, I have put myself out there and had to work harder to be seen as relevant,” Venkatesan said.