Female Executive in Fintech Talks: Savannah Black, Marketing Manager at TRAction - Fintech Gender Pay Gap is Closing

Based in Australia, Savannah Black is working at TRAction as the marketing manager, a thriving fintech firm dedicated in providing financial and regulatory technology services specializing in regulatory trade and transaction reporting across Europe and Asia Pacific.

Last year, Fazzaco had the honor to have interviewed Mr. Quinn Perrott, the co-CEO and founder of TRAction. As the International Women's Day is now at the doorstep, we took the chance and invited Savannah to share her insight on a number of topics.

Fazzaco: Hi Savannah! Thanks for joining us! Happy Women's Day! Could you tell us more about you and what you do at TRAction Fintech?

Savannah: Thanks for having me! I'm the Marketing Manager of TRAction, prior to this role I worked for a financial services law firm, Sophie Grace, where I also coordinated the marketing. Central to my role, is monitoring the latest developments in regulation across multiple jurisdictions to ensure we're communicating relevant updates to our clients as timely and effectively as possible. This is in addition to things like public relations, search engine optimisation and website development.

Fazzaco: Gender pay gap, sadly, still exists globally. In your opinion, is the gap more obvious or not in the fintech industry?

Savannah: Unfortunately, as per a recent study by the Australian Bureau of Statistics​​ (ABS), industries in which the pay gap is the highest include professional, technical and financial services. However, it's important to note that the pay gap is closing. In Australia there are several great advocacy groups such as Women in Finance​ and Women in Finance and Banking encouraging the representation and career development of women in the industry.

Fazzaco: Is fintech business women-friendly or not, according to your opinion?

Savannah: Personally, I've been fortunate enough to work within workplaces that are inclusive and supportive of women as well as a female-founded fintech.

Fazzaco: Of all the females you know, who has inspired you the most?

Savannah: I feel very lucky to be surrounded by a network of strong and supportive women all of whom have inspired me in various ways. Sophie Gerber, Co-CEO of TRAction, has significantly inspired me both in and out of the workplace. She's incredibly intelligent, hardworking and admirably selfless all of which is a testament to how much she has achieved at such a young age. It would also be remiss of me not to mention my mother, she's really taught me the importance kindness as you never know someone else is going through.

Fazzaco: Tell us your secrets to balancing work and life.

Savannah: I wouldn't say I have any great tips, to be honest, I think the concept of work-life balance is somewhat of a fallacy. Some weeks you'll need to dedicate more time to work to get things done while other weeks life can interrupt work. Over time, I've learnt not to beat myself up over not maintaining a perfect balance and prioritise my mental health when feeling overwhelmed by one or the other.

Fazzaco: What do you usually do to enjoy the time outside work?

Savannah: I have two little cheeky Chihuahuas, Storm and Stitch, who get me outside every day for long walks. I'm a coffee fanatic and try to catch up with friends over a nice cup of coffee on the weekend – on a quest to find my favourite coffee across Sydney. I also recently built myself a PC, so I've been doing a bit of gaming when I get the time.

Fazzaco: If you could only choose one word to describe yourself, what would it be?

Savannah: Persevering.

Fazzaco: Let's get back to your profession on the last question. Any exciting news you wanna share with us from TRAction?

Savannah: Sadly, I'm finishing up in my role with TRAction this month and moving into the cryptocurrency space, but it'll be exciting to watch TRAction continue to expand overseas particularly in Singapore and Canada two markets we entered in 2021. Moreover, as regulation around cryptocurrency continues to develop particularly in Europe, I'm looking forward to seeing TRAction service a new client base as I expect firms trading cryptocurrency to soon fall within scope of some type of reporting requirement.