Originally from Russia, at the age of 16 I received a full scholarship to study abroad at the United World College of the Adriatic in Italy – a school that brings together young leaders from all over the world and promotes peace and intercultural understanding.

While studying for my International Baccalaureate there, I have also remotely finished my school in Russia with distinction and even received the State-Level Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Achievements in Learning.

I then moved to the UK where I studied a Law and Business Degree at the University of Warwick. Despite the initial struggle due to English being my third language, I studied hard, overcame all the difficulties, and was even recognised as the Best Student on the Course. While at the university, I also established Warwick Women’s Careers Society which under my leadership helped hundreds of female students to achieve their chosen careers.

I joined NatWest Group straight out of the university on a graduate rotational programme. As a part of it, I worked with Technology, Media and Telecommunications team, helping to attract new businesses to the bank. I then joined the Structured Finance team where I was involved in the structuring of complex multimillion lending deals for FTSE 100 companies.

Throughout my time on the Graduate programme, I led Marketing & Communications Council that was responsible for communication with 600+ graduates from 12 different programs across 5 different locations. I also worked in the Steering Committee of the Structured Finance Training & Development Council where I organised bi-weekly trainings for 380+ people located in 6 countries across 2 continents. I also worked as the Secretary of the London & South East Regional Board where I supported a group of key Managing Directors in the region in delivering the Bank’s strategy in the area of community engagement, education, diversity and inclusion.

I then decided to take on a new challenge and moved to a previously unknown to me part of the Bank – Private Banking – where I became the youngest ever Private Banker at Coutts. I studied intensively and worked very hard to become a regulated advisor in record time – successfully passing all my exams on first attempt and with distinction in under 2 months (although the qualification usually takes between 6 and 12 months to complete) and obtaining my regulated advisor status in record time.

Today, I am 25 years old and I am the only female regulated Private Banker at the Bank covering the European and American markets. I look after some of the wealthiest and most high-profile families in the region which is both a great privilege and a huge responsibility.

In addition to my day-to-day work, I also lead the Aspiring Leaders Forum that helps 300+ employees on pre-director level to develop their careers. Being passionate about developing others, I also mentor young women just starting their careers in financial services.

Outside of work, I am a keen volunteer who led fundraising campaigns for a number of charities, including Sense and The Prince’s Trust, and worked as the Secretary of the Board of an educational charity UWC Great Britain. I also regularly run free financial education workshops for children at MoneySense programme where I help children to develop good money habits by using real-life experiences and case studies.

I speak 4 languages and in my free time you can find me bouldering, taking dance classes, reading classic literature, and travelling.