But turned every closed door into a lesson on resilience.

When Frama Aboh left Nigeria for the UK, she carried with her a law degree, determination, and the quiet hope that talent and hard work would be enough. But reality, as she soon learned, had other plans.

After moving to Scotland in 2006, Frama spent years trying to break into law. Applications went unanswered. Opportunities slipped away. And yet, she didn’t stop. She pivoted instead of giving up, because she found a new way to live her dream.

Frama qualified as a Scottish Paralegal in Residential Conveyancing, but when that door didn’t open either, she set her sights on something different. Risk and compliance.
Her first chance came with Capita Glasgow, not as a lawyer, but as a customer service representative. When an internal role for a Controls Tester came up, she applied and was rejected for lack of experience. Rather than walk away, Frama did something few would dare.

She advocated for herself. She presented her transferable skills, asked for a conversation, and convinced the team to give her a chance. It worked. That moment became the pivot point in her
career. From there, Frama built her path one opportunity at a time, moving to State Street Bank, then taking on senior risk roles across major financial institutions.

Today, she is Senior Vice President, Legal Entity Risk and Controls at BNY, working directly with the CEO of the UK
entity. Her journey is one of corporate progression and courage, the kind that challenges systems and expectations.

Frama has used her platform not to distance herself from the challenges she once faced, but to open doors for others. She served as Co-Site Executive for BNY Edinburgh and continues to
co-chair BNY’s Multicultural Network across EMEA, driving conversations around race, representation, and belonging. She mentors women and ethnic minority professionals across industries, offering guidance, advocacy, and belief, the very things she once needed the most.

Her story has been featured in Investing in Ethnicity and shows that it is not just about professional success rather, it is about what happens when perseverance meets purpose.

Frama’s strength lies in her empathy, born from every rejection, every redirection, every step that didn’t go as planned. Today, she is not just a leader in finance, but a role model for resilience.

Frama does not focus on her titles when reflecting about her successes. To her, it is more about how many people she helps climb after her.