Members On Their Way: Vy Pham

Vy Pham was just two when her family left war-torn Vietnam to start a new life in Brisbane. After studying commerce at university, she made the move to Sydney’s Surry Hills to embark on a career in financial services. Seventeen years on, Vy is now Sales Strategy Manager at Zurich Financial Services Australia. Here, she reveals the vital work she’s doing to promote gender equality and diversity (both in and out of the office), her “unhealthy obsession” with reality TV and the podcast that has her hooked.

I joined Future Women after I worked with them to deliver on an unconscious bias training workshop for financial advisers in my company. I wanted to access the articles – and the community to inspire me with content for my community work with organisations that promote gender equality.

I love financial services because it’s such a diverse industry, and has provided me with many opportunities to expand my skills and experience. Like health, it’s such a vital part of people’s lives; when we get it right then we can really enhance people’s lives, but when we get it wrong, we can really destroy it.

In my paid job, I work to help financial advisers provide value beyond advice. I do this by producing an education program that equips financial advisers to provide better care, understanding and coaching for their clients. As part of this work, I recently won the Women in Finance Award for Training and Development Program of the Year.

 

Outside of work, I’m really passionate about the work I do for the Australian Gender Equality Council. They are a not-for-profit who aim to drive a cultural shift in Australia, so that women and men have the same rights and opportunities across all sectors of the community. They do this through high profile national awareness campaigns, advocacy and research. I support them by looking after their social media, email campaigns and fundraising.

I also volunteer my time for a for-profit organisation that fuses e-commerce and tech, helping to solve women’s superannuation gap. Recognising women make 80 percent of household spending decisions, Super Rewards is a cash-back rewards program, provided by retailers, where the rewards go straight into the member’s super account.

I am passionate about working to achieve gender equality – and working on community projects, within my company, that support mental health and wellbeing for our staff and advisers. Being an immigrant to Australia – I came here with my parents when I was just two years old, after the Vietnam war on a boat – I am also passionate about diversity and inclusion.

I also have an unhealthy obsession with reality TV shows like Survivor, Amazing Race and The Bachelor.

I’m currently reading Billion Dollar Whale by Bradley Hope and Tom Wright. I’m a bit obsessed with corporate malfeasance stories. After watching Chernobyl recently, I’m also listening to the accompanying podcast which is absolutely fascinating.

The motto I live by is: ‘Don’t stay where you are tolerated, go where you are celebrated’.

I wish I could learn to speak French or Japanese, but I’m terrible with languages.

My driving force is to help financial advisers provide value beyond advice.

Outside of work I love to catch up with my friends.

The future for women is realising our power.

We can lift each other up when we are not afraid to support each other.

I’m most fulfilled when I’ve helped someone solve a problem.

Self-care means listening to your inner voice.