Women in the Anti-Fraud Profession

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Courtney Babin
ACFE Communications Coordinator

A new session debuted at the 26th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference in Baltimore that discussed an important niche within the anti-fraud community: women. This session, a women’s panel, broached topics that many women face in the anti-fraud industry, from leadership positions to juggling family life. In the latest Fraud Talk podcast, Liseli Pennings, CFE, Deputy Training Director for the ACFE, and Andi McNeal, CFE, Research Director for the ACFE, share their experiences and the struggles women might face as they begin the steps to building a career.

Intuitive intelligence, ability to multi-task under stress and attention to detail are just some of the many qualities women possess that will help them excel in the anti-fraud profession. However, Pennings and McNeal addressed some of the hurdles women must tackle in order to use these skills to the best of their abilities.

“I did, at times, feel some disadvantages because I always worked in a male-dominated field,” says Pennings. “I sometimes felt that I was treated differently.” Pennings, who has worked as a U.S. Special Agent and as a Law Enforcement Attaché, realized that it wasn’t her problem if someone had an issue that she was a woman in a male-dominated field — instead, it was theirs. “I kind of used it to my advantage to build upon myself and perfect the things that I wanted to do and focus on myself as a professional,” says Pennings.

Pennings and McNeal also discussed entering the profession as a young woman and how that can lead to feeling intimidated. “I remember, early on, starting out feeling extremely intimidated. Not necessarily by the specific individuals that I worked with but just because I was working with people that knew so much more than I did,” says McNeal. “For me personally, that’s going to be the situation that makes me feel the least confident.” McNeal found confidence in her early career by making it clear that she wanted to learn more. Expressing the desire to learn and displaying the confidence to admit, ‘I don’t know, but I’ll find out,’ shows peers that you take your job seriously.

The importance of ‘faking it till you make it’ was a heavy topic of discussion in the women’s panel and in the Fraud Talk podcast. “I think projecting an image of confidence, even if you aren’t confident, is important,” says Pennings. When working in a male-dominated field, a little confidence can go a long way. Whether you are an established woman in the higher echelons of your workplace or a young woman just beginning her career, confidence can get you to where you need to be.

As closing advice for professional women, Pennings and McNeal have powerful words of wisdom. Give yourself credit; don’t short-change yourself. Fake it until you make it with confidence, but in the end, believe you can get there. “Don’t worry too much about what other people think,” says Pennings. “I think we tend, especially when we are young females, to focus a lot on what other people think as opposed to what we want to accomplish.”

To hear the full podcast, visit ACFE.com/podcast.

ACFE Women’s Panel: Sayonara Old School Gender Roles

FROM THE ACFE GLOBAL FRAUD CONFERENCE

Mandy Moody, CFE
ACFE Media Manager

Thick skin and confidence. Those are just two of the skills the first-ever women’s panel offered female anti-fraud professionals during the ACFE Global Fraud Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, June 16, 2015. Cynthia Cooper, CFE, CEO of Cooper Group, moderated a panel of five women representing public, private, government and corporate worlds. The panelists included Tiffany Couch, CFE, CPA, CFF, Principal at Acuity Forensics; Sharon Curry, CFE, Director of Global Investigations at Wal-Mart; Francine Gross, Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit at the FBI; Leah Lane, CFE, CFS, Global Investigations Director at Texas Instruments, Inc.; and Liseli Pennings, Special Agent at the U.S. Department of Treasury. 

Below are a few of the important takeaways that any female professional would benefit from implementing: 

Say ‘no’ more. You don’t have to say ‘yes’ to everything to show that you are competent and able. You can say ‘no’ to certain projects. Pick the quality ones to step up and handle.

Hone two important skills: communication and confidence. As Lane said, “You must know how to communicate both verbally and in writing. You need to be able to present findings and give directions.” Along with that, you need confidence. You even need confidence when you may not have it. “You have to find ways to make yourself more confident,” Gross said. “You have to believe in yourself.” And even if that confidence is lacking, according to Couch, “you have to fake it until you make it. You have to act confident even if you don’t feel like it.”

Being a female can be an advantage. Characteristics that many women exhibit, like multitasking and an attention to detail, play huge roles in being a successful anti-fraud professional. Use these skills, perfect these skills and own these skills. Gross also mentioned that some people are more comfortable talking to women and sharing information with them. She recommends using the assumption that you are easier to talk to and get the most information you can. 

Accept the mommy-guilt and don’t listen to the nay-sayers. Balancing parenthood with your career is simply that, a balance. Two of the panelists, and some of the audience members, mentioned that their husbands are or were stay-at-home dads. That’s okay, they said. It works and it is what is best for their families. There are no specific gender roles assigned to working and parenting. If you hear different, ignore it.

Develop really thick skin. One attendee asked for advice in dealing with inappropriate jokes or male-dominated environments that unknowingly exclude females. The panel’s response was to never get emotional about it and don’t be too sensitive; it isn’t personal. Use a sense of humor to lighten a situation and know your personal threshold for dealing with these potential situations. And, if a line is crossed, hold people accountable for their actions.

No one is going to help you, but you. If you are lacking in a professional area, look for training. If you need a mentor, find one. You are in control of how far you will go.

The last piece of advice that definitely received the most laughs and some applause was what Couch’s mentor shared with her many years ago: “He told me, ‘Tiffany, you may be the smartest person in the room, but don’t act like you know you are the smartest person in the room.’”

Find more articles, videos and photos from the 26th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference at FraudConferenceNews.com.