​We spoke with Kerrie Webb, Head of Group Technology Finance at Legal & General, about her career journey in tech. 

What brought you into technology?

I must be honest, after failing some of my A-levels following a period of personal upheaval which derailed my plans to be a lawyer, I didn’t expect that I would be in Brighton and certainly not working in Financial Services or Technology. In fact, I vividly remember declaring I didn’t need to learn Excel formulas as I’d never use them! 

I originally moved to Brighton for my degree and studied Cultural and Historical Studies – which was amazing at embedding critical reasoning and how to form compelling arguments, which has been invaluable. 

I started at Legal & General in a customer service team while finishing my degree and this led to working on a series of projects in Technology and Change. For me, working towards something is hugely important - as is having a sense of purpose behind what I do, which is why I enjoy the energy within tech. My background in operations has instilled in me the need to always do what is right for the customer and this is the focus of everything we do as a tech team and what gives me purpose. 

If you were to ask me my biggest career achievement, it is probably where I am now. It has been a very unexpected journey but one that I am incredibly proud of. What gives me even more confidence is cementing my knowledge through ongoing learning which is why I am incredibly proud to have completed my MBA in 2019 having worked full time and changed two roles whilst completing it. I would say though that there’s no way I’d have been able to achieve this if it weren’t for the people around me. I’ve been fortunate to have been at L&G for 15 years, surrounded by passionate, knowledgeable, authentic and accepting people who have invested in my development and have really celebrated my unique strengths. 

What advice would you give to your younger self?

My advice to my younger self would probably be the advice I give myself now which is – “Comparison is the thief of joy” …don’t write off what you add by focusing on what you think you lack. You as a person are made up of your experiences, you will have facets and strengths that stem from these experiences and what you add will be different to everyone else and that’s amazing in and of itself!