In an industry heavily dominated by men, we’re proud that the Lawsons core team is majority female – we think of them as our trailblazing trio! We’ve already profiled Membership Acquisition Director Jennifer Toon-Davenport and Operations Director Stephanie Estlick. And this week, we finally had the chance to catch up with recently promoted Onboarding Director Sarah Oglesby.
Read on to discover how Sarah’s using her expertise and experience to help members – new and established – live their Lawsons best lives!
Tech whizz Sarah helped develop and deliver our unique plug-in-and-go model
Sarah’s rich and varied career has taken her from catwalk to classroom, editing suite to boardroom – and her expertise encompasses strategic consultancy, education management, multimedia production, digital marketing and quality assurance – in addition to financial services.
A member of the Lawsons team since our inception, Sarah started out as IFA Onboarding Manager, but it quickly became apparent that her unique blend of strategic insight and technical knowledge – she’s developed and delivered online multimedia platforms, resources and applications – deserved promotion.
“I’m proud to have been instrumental in developing our tech-powered plug-in-and-go model and bringing it to market,” enthuses Sarah. “Bespoke functionality includes cash flow modelling, digital signatures and biometric AML checks – everything advisers need to streamline the business writing process and connect with clients.”
Sarah delivers holistic tech support through onboarding and beyond
The overarching aim of Sarah’s role is to ensure member onboarding is as seamless as possible. Leveraging her background in education – previous roles include heading up a college department as well as lecturing and curriculum management – Sarah ensures that members understand exactly how to use our industry-leading tech to streamline the business writing process.
“I’ve devised an onboarding solution that gives our members access to comprehensive support,” explains Sarah. “Plus, I provide coaching and support that covers everything from placing their first business case to obtaining clients’ digital signatures. And I also host webinars that give members the opportunity to connect with our providers.”
Lawsons Network’s tech-driven model is unique in the industry – and Sarah is committed to ensuring it continues to deliver a game-changing experience to members: “I work with our technology partners to ensure that our cloud-based solutions evolve to meet our member needs. Looking to the future, I’m determined to do my part in helping Lawsons realise our ambition of becoming the world’s leading SaaS IFA network.”
Sarah is motivated by the desire to advance gender equity across financial services
According to a Deloitte report, despite recent advances, women in financial services institutions globally held just 21% of board seats in 2021. However, the same report highlights that organisations that prioritise and advance gender equity can differentiate themselves, not just within their firm but across the sector and society as a whole.
Our core team is made up of three trailblazing women with the determination and talent to differentiate our network. It’s something that makes us proud – and it’s a factor that motivates Sarah, too: “While our primary aim is to deliver our core values to growing numbers of members, I’m passionate about advancing gender diversity in this male-dominated industry.”
We’re excited that our network is spearheading change across the industry. To find out more about our tech-powered model – under which you retain complete client control – will help achieve your goals, please get in touch for a confidential chat.
