You don't need to have the answers to add value

‍The views expressed by Bella Sigley are her own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of our Leading Partner, ANZ, whom Bella represented during her time on the Rangatahi Advisory Panel.

I was only on The Circle's Rangatahi Advisory Panel (RAP) for about six months back in 2024, because I changed roles partway through my time, but the experience has stayed with me. Whenever I'm unsure of my footing in a room, I come back to something I learned on the panel: "You don't need to have the answers to add value."

I remember how this realisation came about most clearly. On one of the RAP briefing calls, I asked something small, just to understand the topic better, and the experts joining us said they hadn't thought of that and would take it away and look into it. It taught me that my value in a room isn't always knowing the answer. I'm almost always the youngest and most junior person in a meeting, and what I bring that nobody else can is my perspective. When I have something to say, but I'm worried about how it will land, I frame it as a question. You never know what doors you'll open by saying "hang on, what does that mean?"

That comfort with not knowing suits the way I've built my career, which has involved a lot of learning alongside different people.  

I started at ANZ as a graduate, rotating through different teams, and sustainable finance was the part I loved most, and why I jumped at the opportunity to be on the RAP. From there I moved to Milford, a fast-growing organisation with a big say in where people's retirement savings go. I  worked on the parameters for what sustainable investment looks like in practice. That meant asking colleagues constructive questions: is this the legacy we want as a strong New Zealand company, and would people want to be part of it?

I choose roles by what they can teach me. Each organisation looks at sustainability from a different angle, and working with new teams keeps widening my understanding of how the pieces fit together. I've just started a new sustainable investment role with Morrison, an infrastructure investor, where I'm looking forward to having more impact on how we build for the future, including the role natural infrastructure can play.

Curiosity, collaboration and common ground

The people were the biggest reason the RAP has stuck with me. Working in sustainability inside finance can feel lonely, because you're often the only person in your part of the organisation trying to communicate the message and encourage action for the betterment of our environment. On the panel I was surrounded, for the first time, by people from completely different fields, all working on similar problems in their own corners. Realising how much they knew that I didn't was a reminder that plenty of people genuinely care about this. Some of us still cross paths professionally, and it's been lovely to watch everyone grow.

The panel also taught me to slow down before judging. When we gave feedback on work about modern genetic technology, experts explained to us what it actually involves and the context people were discussing it in, and I realised I needed to step back and stop judging things at face value. Once an issue gets heated and emotive, it's easy to forget to look into it at all, and that comes up constantly in my work.

What concerns me most right now is how polarised everything has become. So many topics have turned emotive that people are increasingly unwilling to hear views different from their own, and I spend most of my time talking with people I disagree with on specific issues. Agreement doesn't have to be the starting point. Understanding what someone cares about is enough to begin.

Making room for younger voices

The RAP gave me a place to practise all of this in a supportive environment that was set up for our success, and that early confidence has carried into my work. Being a bit of an agitator has more or less been in my job description, so I regularly present new ideas, and I'm far less bothered by the imposter syndrome of wondering why anyone is listening. They're listening because I bring a different view, and that's what they want. I've started to see larger organisations bring younger people into board discussions as trainee directors, which I find really promising. It suggests those making decisions about our economy are beginning to make room for the people who will live with the results the longest.

To anyone starting out on the panel, I'd say, stay curious and let it show. People take it as a sign that you want to know more, and that's a good place to start.