Clare Payne

Clare is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and is recognised as a ‘100 Women of Influence’ in Australia.

Clare is a globally recognised leader for her work in ethics in finance and her personal commitment to social issues
Clare advises businesses and leaders on ethics, good governance and trust. She is the author of two books, ‘A Matter of Trust – The Practice of Ethics in Finance’ and ‘One – Valuing the Single Life’ (2018), Melbourne University Publishing and distributed by Penguin.

Clare is a former employment lawyer and an accomplished marathon swimmer. She swam solo around New York City, a distance of 46 kilometres. She is the only person to have swum from Coogee Beach to the Sydney Opera House, a swim recorded in the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

In 2007, prior to the global financial crisis, Clare’s paper ‘Ethics or Bust’ was awarded the inaugural Ethics & Trust in Finance Prize by the Observatoire de la Finance, Geneva. In 2010, Clare led the establishment of The Banking and Finance Oath (The BFO), a Hippocratic oath for those working in banking and finance.

Clare is the EY Fellow for Trust and Ethics and an Honorary Fellow of The University of Melbourne. She also works with Dr. Bronwyn King, founder of Tobacco Free Portfolios.

Speaking topics

The Financial Inclusion of Women

Women with money are set to grow as an economic force. Given the right protections, all of society stands to benefit from women finally gaining the power that money affords.

Digital finance presents great hope for the financial inclusion of women. At last, more women may enter the world economy and benefit from financial products and markets as others have for generations before them. However, the risks of digital finance as a method to achieve financial inclusion are not insignificant – including personal security issues such as vulnerability to scams, and inappropriate products for their financial circumstances. There are also broader implications for communities and society. Despite increased financial inclusion globally and improved access to digital financial services, inequality and inequity across societies in both developed and emerging economies persists.

Clare tracks the rise of women’s wealth and the implications for our world. How women save, spend and invest will shape our world for good. Learn more about the future that’s already underway.