Who Is Rachel? More than a job title, more than achievements — this is the woman behind the career.

I was recently asked a question that stopped me in my tracks: “Who are you?” At first, the answer felt obvious. You start with your job title. You list your achievements. You talk about where you work, what you’ve done, what you’re building. What you’re working really hard to build, in fact.

But then came the follow-up: “No, no. Not that! I meant - Who is Rachel, as a woman?”

And that got me thinking.

Because Rachel is so much more than a role, a CV, or a list of accomplishments.

Rachel is a friend. A daughter. An empath. A class clown. A fundraiser. A woman still figuring it all out. A woman learning, growing, grieving, rebuilding and hoping. And if there’s one thing I’ve come to realise, it’s this:

Being Rachel is a superpower. In fact, being unapologetically yourself is a superpower too.

So, here’s my story – I hope you’re comfy.

I’m 26 years old and I work in financial and professional services. I’m someone who is trying to break barriers, climb the career ladder, and most importantly, bring other people up with me as I go. I care deeply about creating space for women, especially in industries where we haven’t always been seen, heard or represented enough.

But my story didn’t begin with a perfect plan. None of the best ones do.
Like a lot of young people, I left school not really knowing what I wanted to do. I went to a comprehensive state school, and while I always knew I was a people person, I didn’t have some grand career blueprint mapped out. I wasn’t the teenager saying, “I know exactly where I’ll be in ten years.” I was just trying to work hard, do my best, and find my place.
What I did have, though, was a strong foundation.

I was raised by hardworking parents, and I was lucky to grow up surrounded by incredible role models. The women in my life showed me strength, resilience and determination from an early age. And my dad? He was my biggest ally. He believed in me fully, backed me always, and played a huge part in shaping the woman I am today.

I started working from the age of 13 in small jobs, and looking back, those early experiences taught me lessons that no classroom ever could. They taught me work ethic. They taught me resilience. They taught me how to speak to people, how to show up, and how to keep going even when things didn’t go to plan.

And not everything did go to plan.

In fact, one of the first major setbacks I faced came when I was rejected from all five universities I applied to having not got a maths qualification at school.

At the time, that felt huge. Rejection always does. But sometimes rejection is not the end of the road — it’s a redirection. For me, that redirection led to a degree apprenticeship at Heriot-Watt University, and that pivot changed everything.

While completing my degree apprenticeship, I threw myself into work and gained experience in events roles at COSLA, Fife College and the University of Edinburgh. Those years taught me how to juggle responsibility, adapt quickly and build confidence in professional spaces. They also showed me that careers are rarely linear. Sometimes they are messy, unexpected and full of turns you never saw coming.

That’s certainly how I found my way into financial services.

If I’m honest, I fell into it.

I saw a job that I thought I “could maybe do” — and sometimes that’s all it takes. Not total certainty. Not having every qualification in the world. Just enough courage to take a chance on yourself. I don’t believe the statistic that women look at job specs and apply if they can do it all, whilst men don’t. We can’t generalise like that. I think it all comes down to one thing – believing. I believed I could learn. My favourite quote is “she believed she could and she did,” and so, I did.

I spent two years at Scottish Financial Enterprise – this role definitely laid the foundations – it taught me that financial and professional services was the place for me, working with people, impacting customers colleagues and communities. I learnt a lot in two years but then when a new challenge presented itself, I was thrilled. I joined Synechron — another leap into the unknown, because I knew nothing about technology but I was fascinated in Synechron – a global organisation at the forefront of digital transformation, where innovation, technology and strategy come together to solve some of the most exciting challenges in financial services and beyond.
It’s a fast-paced, forward-thinking environment that gives you the chance to work with brilliant people, drive real change, and be part of shaping the future of tech.

I know nothing about technology – But again, I took the chance. And that’s a theme throughout my journey: I haven’t always had all the answers, but I’ve been willing to step forward anyway
And somewhere along the way, I found something I care about deeply: Women in technology.

It’s something I’ve truly fallen in love with — not just the industry itself, but the mission of helping more women see a place for themselves within it. Representation matters. Opportunity matters. Confidence matters. Sometimes the biggest barrier is not capability, but simply whether someone believes they belong. I want to help change that. We won’t succeed without diverse teams.
Because if there’s one thing I know now, it’s that so many women are far more capable than they give themselves credit for.

And maybe that brings me back to the question: Who is Rachel?

Rachel is ambitious, yes. But Rachel is also deeply human.

I am an avid fundraiser and passionate advocate. I’ve lost three people very close to me to cancer, and most tragically, I lost my dad last year at just 59. That loss has changed me in ways I’m still trying to understand.
In the midst of that pain, I’ve tried to channel grief into purpose. I’ve raised over £20,000 for cancer care charities — something I’m incredibly proud of. I also sit on the boards of Women in Banking and Finance and Smart Works Scotland, both of which reflect causes close to my heart: supporting women, creating opportunities, and helping people step into confidence and possibility.

But I also want to be honest: strength doesn’t always look polished.
I love laughing. I’ve always been someone who brings energy, warmth and humour into a room. I used to love exercise too, but over the last two years, while navigating a horrendous grief journey, I’ve struggled. Grief has a way of reshaping you. It can knock the wind out of your confidence, your routines, your identity, even your sense of joy. It can leave you asking questions you never expected to ask.

Questions like:

Who is Rachel now? What does healing look like? What comes next?
And the truth is, I don’t fully know yet.

But maybe that’s okay. Maybe life isn’t about having every answer neatly packaged. Maybe it’s about allowing yourself to evolve. To be proud of who you’ve been, honest about what you’ve lost, and hopeful about who you’re becoming. Maybe life is about connecting, forming relationships at work that become friendships, breaking down barriers to understand one another as human, not job titles.

Right now, I know this much: I want to continue paving the way for women in technology. I want to keep opening doors, having honest conversations, and showing other women that they do not need to have a perfect plan to build a meaningful career. I want to keep honouring the values I was raised with — hard work, kindness, humour, resilience and lifting others as you climb.
Most of all, I want to keep becoming.

So, who is Rachel?

Rachel is a woman with ambition and empathy in equal measure. A woman shaped by hard work, rejection, courage, grief and purpose. A woman who has taken chances on herself, even when she wasn’t sure she was ready. A woman who is still finding herself again after loss. A woman who believes that success means more when you bring others with you. A woman who is lucky to be surrounded by amazing role models – too many to name, both male and female.
Rachel is a story still being written.

And perhaps that’s the most powerful answer of all.