Celebrating Women in Finance and Procurement

For women in finance and procurement, it can be a challenge to rise into leadership positions. Despite making up more than half of the financial industry, women occupy fewer than one in five executive positions in financial services.

Although numbers are low, the call for innovative organizations to acknowledge female leadership is louder today than ever before.

To lend our voice to this cause, the Procurify team is acknowledging and celebrating the women making a difference in typically male-dominated roles.

1. Corinne Hua, Chief Financial Officer, Thinkific

Corrine Hua is the CFO at Thinkific, a fast-growing online course platform. Alongside a BA in Economics from the University of Calgary, Corrine also holds CMA and CPA, Delaware designations.

Before her current role at Thinkific, Corinne held multiple senior financial positions at several technology companies and was a VP Finance of U.S. operations at CA Technologies. 

We invited Corrine to talk about spend management and driving growth in 2020 on our Spend Culture Stories podcast. In the episode, Corrine advises tech startups to invest in a long-term strategic vision to align teams and get them contributing towards a company’s big picture.

Listen to the on-demand webinar here.

2. Pinder Sekhon, VP, Financial Planning and Analysis at Western Financial Group

Pinder’s journey into the finance world started over 20 years ago. After obtaining a BAccs from the University of Calgary, she went on to become one of the top women in finance, and to date, she has worked with more than five companies in top-level finance positions.

Her experience at Unbounce, a fast-growing Vancouver startup, made her the best person to speak about the role of a CFO in a people-first company, and so we invited her to speak on our podcast. In the episode, Pinder shares how to build a proactive spend culture using technology, and how finance leaders can balance control with trust in fast-scaling organizations.

Listen to this podcast episode on-demand here.

3. Jenny Bloom, Chief Financial Officer, Zapier

As Zapier’s CFO, Jenny Bloom is responsible for the entire organization’s financial and operational output. And this responsibility is on her shoulders for good reason. Prior to Zapier, Jenny worked at several technology companies and internet startups that hugely influenced the .com boom during the 1990s.

When Jenny came on the Spend Culture Stories podcast, she shared her secrets and lessons learned from working with startups like Zapier and Unbounce. With the economic uncertainty that came with 2021, Jenny also shared her company’s plan for growth for the new year.

You can listen to this podcast episode on-demand here.

4. Dana Small, Senior Category Manager at BioMarin Pharmaceuticals

Dana Small is one of the top women in finance at BioMarin Pharmaceuticals. As Senior Category Manager, she acts as the Lead for Global Commercial Operations and other indirect categories. 

On her blog, Dana provides expert insights on sourcing, procurement, and category management. She’s also responsible for the hashtag #WSW (Women Supporting Women), an initiative that brings together women in finance and procurement who can support each other and promote healthy workplace relationships.

During our podcast with Dana, she shared pointers for companies looking to close the gender gap in the finance industry. She also spoke on important spend categories that every finance professional in the biotech industry needs to know.

Listen to this podcast episode on-demand here.

5. Nakita Gates, Principal Partner, Executive Search Recruit

Nakita Gates’ clients trust her to do one thing: find the right person for the job.

 As an executive recruiter focused on operations, supply chain, and human resources, Nakita helps business owners find the talent they need to grow their business.

When we featured Nakita Gates on the Spend Culture podcast, she gracefully shared insight on how business owners can find the right person for procurement leadership roles, advising that owners must look out for a professional strategic partner instead of a tractional and tactical specialist. 

Listen to this podcast episode on-demand here.

6. Kelly Barner, Managing Director and Owner, Buyer’s Meeting Point

Kelly Barner owns and manages Buyers Meeting Point where she covers procurement news, events, publications, solutions, trends, and relevant economics. She has also co-authored three books on finance and procurement. 

Drawing on 18 years of experience in the procurement space, Kelly speaks about the new role of the procurement executive, and how procurement can reclaim itself as a key function in an organization. She also explains the hilarious and shocking stories behind how the role of procurement is behind everything that we see. 

Listen to this podcast episode on-demand here.

Happy International Women’s Day!

And there you have it. Six amazing women breaking who are breaking ceilings and innovating in the finance industry. With your support, more women can be recognized for their efforts and level the playing field in the finance industry. 

Want to help?

• Visit 100women.com or womeninfinance.ca to find out more.
• Nominate someone for the Spend Culture podcast or read our CFO report featuring female CFOs.
• If you’re active on Slack, you can join our Slack Culture Community.