She didn’t find the role. She built it.

For FxF’s 5th anniversary, we’re sitting down with the women rewriting the rules of Finance. Because ambition doesn’t have to mean following the traditional path, climbing someone else’s ladder, or waiting for the next role to open up. Sometimes, redefining ambition means creating the path yourself.

Forhana was once given a mandate, but no team, no process and no blueprint. Nine months later, she’d built the function.

Here are the five things her career has taught her about ambition:

Some of the most interesting opportunities in Forhana’s career weren’t jobs that existed. Her approach? Look for the problem that needs solving, the gap nobody owns, or the thing that could work better. Sometimes your next opportunity is the one you have to shape yourself.

Forhana’s rule: every pitch balances impact against cost. If you get a ‘no’, her response isn’t to push harder. It’s to understand why. Does the idea need work? Is the case unclear? Is the timing wrong? Take the feedback, sharpen your thinking and make the case compelling. If it’s not the right time, reflect on why. Leaders decide when to adapt, persist or walk away.

“I never know everything. No one does.” The more senior Forhana has become, the more comfortable she is saying, “I don’t know – tell me.” You don’t need to have all the answers. You need to know which questions to ask, listen properly, and have the judgement to work out what matters. Staying grounded will give you confidence.

Almost nothing Forhana is proud of was built alone. The best ideas get better when other people challenge them, shape them and feel ownership of them. Forhana’s version of ambition is collaborative by design, because the fastest way to rewrite the rules of an industry is together, not solo.

Her top tip? Run your corner of the company like a start-up. Don’t ask, “What am I expected to do?” Ask, “What could I create?” That’s how she built a capability from scratch, starting with a mandate but no team, process or roadmap.

Here’s her shift: she sees ambition as less about how high you want to climb and more about what you’re willing to take on. It’s about being curious enough to keep learning, confident enough not to need all the answers, and brave enough to take responsibility for something that doesn’t yet have an obvious solution.

Perhaps that is the true essence of redefining ambition. It isn’t about waiting for a clear roadmap, seeking approval, or accepting someone else’s definition of achievement.

Five years in, FxF was built on the same belief: don’t wait for Finance to make room for you. Redefine what ambition looks like, challenge the existing framework, and open doors for the women coming up behind you.

Because progress isn’t one-size-fits-all, and the playbook is ours to rewrite.