A coffee with Mélanie
We’re so excited to hear your story! Tell us, who is Mélanie?
Hi! I'm Mélanie, co-founder of Female x Finance — a company I started four years ago together with my best friend. FxF is now the largest global community for next-gen female leaders in Finance, with over 60,000 women across the world. We're building everything we wished had existed when we were starting out.
Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
I grew up just outside of Amsterdam and have been living in the city for over ten years. I'm a true city girl at heart, and I love any excuse to travel for FxF to cities like London.
What sparked the idea for Female x Finance, and can you tell us more about it please?
It was born from two frustrations. My co-founder was struggling to break into Finance and I had just become the only woman on my team at my first Finance job. We kept bumping into the same wall: how hard it is for women to find a job, let alone thrive, in such a male-dominated field.
So, we decided to build what didn't exist yet. But not a stiff networking club - a genuinely cool community where we embrace that you can be ambitious, feminine and successful all together. We host pilates network events, beauty masterclasses with Charlotte Tilbury, AI career training sessions. The kind of thing where you show up, make real connections, and leave feeling like the main character.
What has been a moment where you truly felt the impact of what you’re building?
It hits me in so many different moments: A woman at one of our events telling me FxF helped her land her dream job. Spotting someone on the pilates reformer wearing our FxF socks. Seeing a new member join from New York, Paris, or Milan. The community has grown so much, and watching women find each other through what we built never gets old.
Please tell us some of your favorite events/milestones so far with Female x Finance!
Making Forbes 30 Under 30 was huge. Not just for the recognition, but because it felt like the wider world finally seeing what we already knew: that what we're building actually matters. It was validation for every late night and bold bet we'd made.
What changes are you hoping to see in the finance world in the coming years?
More women in leadership, who lead on their own terms. Not as a symbolic gesture, but because I genuinely believe it will change the culture of the sector from the inside out. That's the long game we're playing with FxF.
What’s one thing nobody would expect about you?
I'm obsessed with hip-hop. So while I may look completely put-together behind my laptop, I'm probably listening to J. Cole or Travis Scott at full volume.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Honestly, the variety is what I love most. A morning run or pilates, a deep-focus block at home, then afternoons at the office with the team or meetings with potential partners. In our busiest months - March and September - there's an event almost every week, and sometimes multiple days in a row. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Before we wrap up, we have to ask! How do you take your coffee?
I'm a big coffee lover! Always a flat white — but please, make it strong.
