Seana Momsen
Regulatory Associate, Monzo
Tell us your story:
I am a social activist inside and outside of the Fintech community, I have done many activism events around this. In terms of highlights from my career, there is a great deal that I take pride in. This includes:
- Leading and coordinating trans-specific events over the past year, including workshops, listening sessions, wellbeing retreats and creating relationships/partnerships internally and externally
- Building our trans network and encouraging further activism and change so that everyone feels like they have a voice
- Showing up to Pride this year authentically with my community at Monzo, but also outside of Monzo being the host of London Pride with others, giving a further voice to our community
- Continuing to be a part of the human library which includes speaking, chairing, and arranging events at places like TK Maxx, Ebay, construction companies, where I talked about lived experiences and promoted education and understanding
- Hosted Trans Day of Visibility at Monzo, collobrated with stakeholders, employees and the community to put together an informative, educational piece
Overall, there is a great deal of things that I am proud of to have been a part of this year.
Impact:
I have done a great deal of work to contribute towards creating a more inclusive financial services sector that both promotes and advocates for the financial health community.
As mentioned in my bio, I have led many events that educates, informs and fosters understanding in not only my workplace but the wider fintech community. The biggest impact I have made is through my volunteer work with the Human Library, it has given the incredible opportunity to speak at many events and really promote understanding.
An example of this, is I have spoken at Ebay, and there I talked about the lived experience I have as a Trans Bengali woman, which has come with a lot strife but also emotional intelligence. It's meant that I've developed the ability to have these difficult conversations and also really encourage others that are allies, are not part of these communities or don't have these experiences to really stand up, speak up and speak out.
In addition to the above, I do a lot of activism work, this has included attending protests, fundraising, speaking at Pride events this year and really advocating for my community. I have also shown up in other ways such as attending and donating to fundraisers and charities across the United Kingdom.
My favourite moment from this year though, was probably the trans day of visibility I have organised in my workplace. During this time, it was an opportunity to further build on the LGBTQ+ Network and community we have at Monzo, but also give those a voice and a chance to really come together.
Overall, I believe I deserve to be on the powerlist because I am working to build a better future for people in Fintech that are trans and I want to continue to inspire and help others have that as well.
Advice:
I am very dedicated, passionate and have a drive to succeed; when you have that drive you can go anywhere that you aspire to be. I would also advise to not be too hard on yourself - it can take time to feel like "enough" and celebrate and love yourself in a way that can be authentic - and even harder in the world of Fintech. However, surround yourself with like minded people, and from there start your journey to self-love as well.
