In this edition of Women in Leadership Global’s Leadership Excellence in the Spotlight, Georgie Dickins speaks with Emily Portney, Global Head of Asset Servicing at BNY, about the experiences, relationships and lessons that have shaped more than three decades in financial services.

Emily reflects on the resilience and independence she learned early in life, the influence of her mother, and why curiosity, adaptability and communication have remained important throughout her career. She also shares how those early lessons continue to shape the way she leads today.
A central part of the conversation is Emily’s approach to human leadership. Her weekly “Quick Takes” began as a simple way to help thousands of colleagues see the real person behind the role. By sharing short, personal reflections rather than polished corporate messages, she has built connection, trust and a stronger sense of accessibility across the organisation.

Emily also discusses the mentors who influenced her, the importance of humility and perspective, and the leaders who taught her that empathy can matter just as much as expertise. She recalls one high-pressure moment before an earnings call when a simple act of kindness from BNY CEO Robin Vince completely changed her emotional state, and left a lasting impression on the kind of leader she wanted to become.
The conversation explores vulnerability, trust and the changing rules of leadership as careers progress. Emily explains why what gets you to one level will not necessarily get you to the next, why senior leaders must understand the amplified impact of their words and actions, and why having trusted people around you who are willing to tell you when you need to course-correct is so important.

She also reflects on being a woman in a historically male-dominated industry, the power of visibility and sponsorship, and why opening doors for others is about more than giving people opportunities on paper. It is also about helping them build the relationships, confidence and presence that allow them to be seen.

An open and thoughtful conversation about authenticity, resilience, partnership, vulnerability and what it means to lead with humanity.

In this edition of Women in Leadership Global’s Leadership Excellence in the Spotlight, Georgie Dickins speaks with Carla Antunes da Silva, Chief Executive Officer of Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets, about the habits, decisions and lessons that have shaped her career.

Carla shares how she protects her time, why she tracks the number of meeting hours in her diary, and how simple routines help her stay at her best in a role where the issues reaching her desk are rarely simple. She also explains why leaders need space to think, move and step away from constant screens if they want to make better decisions.

The conversation also explores the people who changed Carla’s path, including a headmaster who encouraged her to apply to Oxford, and why both great and poor bosses can become some of our most valuable teachers. For Carla, leadership carries responsibility: knowledge matters, humility matters, and people should be properly prepared for the moment they begin leading others.

One of her strongest leadership principles is simple: the best meeting is one where she changes her mind. Being willing to learn something new, challenge your assumptions and see another point of view is not weakness. It is a sign of confidence and better decision-making.

Carla also reflects on confidence, communication and the preparation behind strong executive presence. She shares why careers should be treated as a long game rather than a constant sprint, how to think in decades rather than days, and why some of the greatest joy in leadership comes from building teams that achieve more than they believed they could.
Her closing message to leaders is one worth remembering: keep pushing the boundaries of what you think you know, and have the humility to recognise that your future depends on how much you continue to learn and change.

An open and practical conversation about curiosity, courage, preparation and what leadership excellence looks like in practice.

In this edition of Women in Leadership Global’s Leadership Excellence in the Spotlight, Georgie Dickins speaks with Sarah Youngwood about the habits, lessons and experiences that have shaped her career. From the mentors who took a chance on her to the preparation that sits behind confidence, Sarah offers a candid look at what leadership excellence actually demands.

Sarah reflects on a career in which she once pushed herself so hard that she nearly walked away altogether. That experience changed how she thinks about achievement, pace and performance. Her lesson is simple but powerful: doing more does not always mean achieving more. Sustainable success means knowing when to slow down, protecting the things that matter outside work and giving yourself the space to perform at your best.

She also shares why preparation beats stress, how she thinks about hiring through the combination of EQ, IQ and heart, and why the polished leaders we see from the outside often have far more preparation happening behind the scenes than we realise. For Sarah, confidence is not about knowing every answer instinctively. It comes from doing the work, understanding the answers behind the answer and being ready for the questions you hope nobody asks.

Along the way, Sarah discusses the people who shaped her leadership style, building a career without sacrificing family, the danger of turning achievement into overachievement, and why one of the things she values most is the impact she has had on the people she has mentored.

An open, thoughtful conversation about the work behind great leadership and the lessons that can help the next generation of leaders find their own way forward.