Beyond the Career Ladder
What We Learned at Women in Platforms Edinburgh
Women in Platforms in Nucleus’ Edinburgh office
On 16 September 2026, Women in Platforms brought together an exceptional panel in Edinburgh, hosted with Nucleus Financial, for a conversation that was honest, thought-provoking, and full of reminders about what it takes to create opportunities — and what still stands in the way.
Rachael Bews gave the keynote and joined the panel alongside Laura Young, Susan Hope, and Lindsay Law. The evening was chaired by Laura Barnes, who has done so much for women navigating the menopause in the corporate workplace — she's previously shared her own story at a past WiP session, and happily fielded audience questions on it again on the night.
The phrases that stayed with us
"8 hours." The invisible time cost of making it all happen.
"Hotel for 3." The practical realities women have to navigate that don't appear on anyone else's checklist.
"Send my husband instead." A reminder of the assumptions that still shape who gets to show up.
"Running the invisible operation." The unpaid work that keeps everything moving outside the day job.
Rachael spoke to the "cost of accessing opportunities" — who gets through the door — and to the pressure women feel to "perform miracles to take it," just to claim a seat that should already be theirs.
Choosing between career and family
Rachael was candid about the choice so many women are still forced to make between career and parenthood, sharing a comment from a previous boss suggesting a new mother be hired as a receptionist because she "wouldn't be ambitious" — and could be paid less for it. Her message: stop forcing people to choose between career and family, health, and everything else that makes up a life.
Numbers worth sitting with
Susan Hope shared the story of her own mum, now 72, left wondering what she'd done wrong to end up with so much less money in retirement. On average, women retire with £113,000 less than men — around £6,000 a year less to live on — and 36% of women in retirement are living in poverty. Susan's practical advice: max out your employer and workplace pension contributions to get the full amount of "free" money on offer.
Mentorship is good. Sponsorship is better.
Susan put it plainly: a mentor gives you advice; a sponsor speaks your name in rooms you're not in. Seek that relationship out. Laura Young's advice alongside it: be a sponge — learn constantly, stay curious, don't wait until you feel ready.
A different kind of permission
One line summed up the evening: "Don't make me choose. Borrow my network. Take up space." Laura Young named the harder truth too: "We are our own biggest barrier."
Rachael's challenge to the room: don't be afraid to pitch, to speak, to put your name forward. Be seen — you're worth it. What you do matters, and every step forward is a chance to pass it on to the person coming up behind.
The conversation also returned to The Squiggly Career — Lindsay was clear a squiggly career isn't a wrong one. Careers rarely run in a straight line, and that's normal. Laura Young: accept you might fail, but do what matters anyway — nobody else controls your limits but you. Lindsay: believe in yourself, and set your own targets.
Carrying it forward
Rachael Bews' Don't Make Me Choose campaign is calling on employers to provide proper space for breastfeeding and expressing at work, and for a statutory right to paid breaks to do so. No woman should have to choose between feeding her baby and earning a living.
Thank you
The event was a huge success and incredibly well attended, with the conversation carrying on long after the panel wrapped, over nibbles and drinks kindly supplied by Nucleus.
Events like this are vital in giving women a voice, and we're grateful too to the few men who joined us and took part in the discussion. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and helped create a space for honest conversation, and a huge thank you to Laura and the entire team at Nucleus Financial for hosting us.
This blog was kindly written by:
Natali Gilmour is an experienced financial services professional with a career spanning technology and digital transformation. She enjoys bringing people and technology together, building strong relationships and helping customers get real value from the tools they use.
Justine and Kate