Meet Zeinab Ozigi, Financial Ozigi Financial Services Consultant, Sion

Financial Ozigi Financial Services Consultant, Sionic, & Founder, Dress to Lead

Zeinab Ozigi

"When the challenge to be heard seems too great, I look for help."

What does your job role entail?

I am a consultant for Sionic, a global consultancy firm specialising in financial services. My role is to clarify the business wants versus needs, prioritise them and communicate them to business stakeholders. Providing my skills on an associate basis gives me the flexibility to work full-time for part of the year, as well as to pursue other endeavours and balance my family life. At Sionic I’m usually placed with a Tier 1 bank, where I provide a structured analytical approach to clarifying the business needs in complex projects. It’s my responsibility to work with stakeholders across my client’s organisation and external bodies (regulators, credit rating bodies, asset managers etc) to agree on a standardised approach based on a clear list of assumptions and dependencies.

Run me through your typical working day.

My day varies depending on where the project is and what business challenges may be impacting its progress. Identifying the right individuals needed to resolve these challenges is key, but I also have to communicate with multiple stakeholders, manage expectations and/or gain approvals about the project approach as it progresses.

What inspired you to start Dress to Lead?

About five years ago, I became the principal business analyst for a greenfield project, which had high visibility with senior stakeholders, so I had to build relationships, fast. Though I was a confident communicator on the phone or in emails, I found myself awkward in our initial face-to-face meetings. I thought dressing for success might give me a confidence boost so I started taking advice from numerous books on personal style, image consulting and looking after clothing. This drastically changed how I saw myself and how I was received at initial meetings: it elevated my presence in the room and made relationship building easier. I wanted to share this knowledge with women who were building their careers and facing difficulties with creating a good first impression.

What services does Dress to Lead offer?

Many women simply do not have the time to explore how to dress for success, so we provide “done for you” services. These include a fully shoppable look-book for a new work wardrobe; a personal styling kit to maintain your clothes, including durable hangers and lint rollers; and our premier service – a styling day that ends with a studio session for portrait photos for your professional online presence.

What are your career highs and lows?

I’ve had many highs as a consultant in the delivery of high-profile projects, but the long hours and business travel were my personal low points. Having recognised this, I now seek terms of engagement that work well for myself and for my consultancy.

With only 37% of managerial and 15% of executive level roles in the finance industry filled by women, do you feel like you have to fight for your voice to be heard?

I recognise the statistics, but choose not to let them get in my way. It is harder for women, but I apply a positive mindset to any challenge or engagement I take on. When the challenge to be heard seems too great, I look for help. I reach out to female friends in the industry, get advice from mentors and listen to their input to improve my responses to the status quo. No one and no challenge can stop you when you are relentless in your pursuit.