As South Africa celebrates Women’s Month, Niki Giles, head of strategy at Prescient Fund Services, reflects on her career in financial services, the importance of making investing more accessible and why financial independence is one of the most powerful tools women can have.
Source: Supplied. Niki Giles, Strategy Head at Prescient Fund Services.
She shares the lessons that have shaped her career and why strategy matters as much in a household budget as it does in a boardroom. Financial freedom, she argues, is rarely built through a single grand gesture, but through a series of small, deliberate decisions.
Looking back on your career, what has been the biggest change you’ve seen in how South Africans, particularly women, approach investing?
When I started out in financial services, investing was something you did through an intermediary, if you did it at all. It was seen as the preserve of wealthy individuals and the professionals who advised them. The biggest change I have seen since is accessibility. Today, technology and products such as ETFs have made investing available to almost anyone with a smartphone and a relatively small amount of money.
I’ve also seen a growing recognition among women that financial independence is about much more than money. It’s about having choices, security and the confidence to make decisions on your own terms. That shift in mindset is incredibly encouraging.
Financial independence is a theme you often speak about. Why is it particularly important for women?
Financial independence gives women agency. It means having the knowledge, confidence and resources to make decisions based on what is right for them, rather than being constrained by financial necessity.
That agency matters more for women because the financial journey is often a different one. Career breaks, caregiving responsibilities, the gender pay gap and longer life expectancy can all affect lifetime earnings, savings and retirement outcomes. That makes it essential for women to engage with their finances early, understand how investing works, and build habits that support long-term security.
For me, financial independence is not only about retirement or accumulating wealth. It is about resilience, freedom and dignity throughout life. It is the ability to make choices, support yourself and your family and participate fully in your own future.
Strategy is at the heart of your role. How does strategic thinking apply to personal investing and building long-term wealth?
Many people think investing is about finding the perfect investment or timing the market. In reality, strategy is about consistency and having a clear long-term objective.
Whether you’re saving for retirement, your children’s education or simply financial security, the most important decision is often to start. A long-term savings goal and disciplined investment strategy, combined with patience and regular contributions, is far more powerful than trying to predict short-term market movements. In practice, that can be as simple as setting up a monthly debit order into a low-cost, diversified fund and then leaving it alone. The amount you start with matters far less than the habit you build.
As head of Strategy, what do you believe differentiates organisations that continue to thrive in an increasingly competitive financial services landscape?
Organisations that continue to thrive are those that stay focused on the end client and remain clear about the outcomes they are trying to deliver. In financial services, it is easy to become absorbed in products, processes and regulation, but the organisations that stand out are the ones that consistently ask whether they are helping clients achieve better long-term results.
That client focus has to be matched by a strong internal culture. A business cannot be future fit if its people are not growing with it.
At Prescient Fund Services, a key differentiator has been the ability to combine operational strength with a willingness to look ahead – whether that is through product innovation, technology, stronger governance or entering new markets. Growth comes from being responsive to what clients need today, while also building the capability and resilience to meet what they will need tomorrow.
Financial services is evolving rapidly through technology, regulation and changing client expectations. From a strategic perspective, what do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges facing the industry over the next five years?
One of the biggest opportunities is the way technology, and particularly AI, can help financial services businesses deliver more efficient, responsive and scalable services to clients. Used well, AI can improve operations, speed up decision-making and enhance the client experience. The challenge is that financial services is built on trust, so innovation has to be matched by strong data governance, privacy controls and clear guardrails around how client information is used.
There is also a significant opportunity in the continued growth of ETFs, and especially actively managed ETFs. These products are changing how investors access professional investment strategies, combining the accessibility and transparency of a listed instrument with the flexibility of active management. As fintech firms, banks and digital brokers make investing easier and more affordable through their online platforms, these products could become an important way to bring more retail investors into the market.
At the same time, greater accessibility brings a responsibility to educate investors properly. As more people engage with financial content through social media and online platforms, the industry has to help investors distinguish between sound guidance and potentially harmful advice. Finfluencers and unregulated commentary can play a role in raising awareness, but they also create risks where investors do not have the experience or tools to interrogate what they are being told.
Over the next five years, I think the organisations that succeed will be those that can balance innovation with responsibility. The opportunity is to make financial products more accessible, efficient and relevant; the challenge is to do so in a way that protects investors, strengthens trust and keeps the client’s long-term outcome at the centre of every decision.
What advice would you give to the next generation of women looking to build successful careers in financial services?
My advice would be to stay curious and not be afraid to ask questions. In financial services, there is always more to learn, and often the best way to build understanding is to ask, listen and engage with people who have different experience from your own.
I would also encourage young women to find mentors who are willing to spend time discussing career options, sharing industry knowledge and helping them think through the opportunities available to them. Mentorship can make a real difference, not only in opening doors, but in helping you build confidence and perspective.
Take every learning opportunity you can, and volunteer for projects that expose you to new ideas, new products or innovation. Some of the most valuable career growth comes from stepping into areas where you do not yet have all the answers.
It is also important to keep up with changes in technology and to understand how those tools can help you do your work smarter. In a world shaped increasingly by AI, the next generation will need to develop the right skills to use it effectively, but they must also maintain their own knowledge and judgement so that they can interrogate what AI produces, rather than simply accepting it at face value.
