On International Women’s Day (IWD), many stories will be shared of women doing brilliant things in their professions and, quite right too.
In this article, Natalie Dawes, Editor of Professional Paraplanner shares a story for IWD that feels grounded and quietly powerful. This year’s IWD theme ‘Give to Gain’ feels a little like it was written for Aleksandra Sasin, Founder of Navigatus.
What began eight years ago as a one‑woman outsourced paraplanning venture has grown into a thriving, fully remote team of 15 women.
The common thread here, isn’t gender, but shared values, flexibility, and a culture Aleks has carefully and consciously cultivated.
An accidental beginning, an intentional path
Like many paraplanners, Aleks’s route into financial services was part chance, part discovery.
After studying linguistics in Poland and moving to the UK in 2004 for what she thought would be a gap year, she found herself in an admin role at a major bank.
“I guess I fell into the financial services industry,” she laughed. But the moment she stumbled across financial planning, something clicked.
“When I found out about financial planning, I thought, actually I could do that! I knew from then I wanted to be in that part of financial services.”
Despite qualifying early, Aleks hit a familiar industry wall; no paraplanning experience, no paraplanning job.
“Nobody wanted to give me a job as a paraplanner, but I knew I could do the job.”
Thankfully, someone did take a chance on her in the end and all of this, left her with experience that deeply informs how she leads today.
Aleks said, “I try to make entry positions available because I struggled to get in.”
This is one of the many ways Aleks ‘gives to gain’ – in opening the door for those who come after her.
Creating the workplace she once needed
Aleks spent years honing her craft, moving into a paraplanning role and later being put in charge of a team “without any training”. It was, she told me very openly, “a bit of a disaster”.
But it was also a turning point. Technical expertise alone couldn’t build a healthy working environment; she realised that leadership and culture mattered just as much.
When the firm she worked for was acquired, the culture shifted dramatically. The misalignment in the end gave Aleks the drive to make a leap and in 2017, she launched her outsourced paraplanning business – Navigatus.
It started slowly, with Aleks, then Michaela who came on board as an administrator and is still with the business today, now leading the operational side of the firm. Aleks decided to continue the growth steadily, and intentionally.
“We grew one person every year. There was a lot of chaos behind the scenes, but we tried very hard to keep that from showing.” she said smiling.
Today, Navigatus’ all‑women team isn’t a USP, it’s simply been about building a team over the years that fits the values. Flexibility and compassion are two non‑negotiables for everyone.
Aleks told me, “There’s no guilt here. Nobody is ever expected to multitask – you’re either caring for someone or being a paraplanner, not both.”
Many of these principles come directly from Aleks’s own experiences of being a working parent in rigid, somewhat unforgiving environments.
“I would be late because my daughter wouldn’t put her shoes on and you’d have to do the walk of shame. I just thought it was so unfair. When I set up my own firm, I knew I didn’t want it to be like that.”
Her leadership style is rooted in openness.
“Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness in this business.”
Again, the ‘Give to Gain’ theme really resonates. Aleks gives trust, autonomy and humanity, and in return gains loyalty, growth and a cohesive team.
The Navigatus way – long term mindsets, supported learning, and the ‘dip’
Aleks is refreshingly honest about the realities of training paraplanners.
“We tell anyone joining us that it will take at least 18 months to feel fully comfortable. Nobody believes me, they all think it will take two or three months, but it never does.”
She describes what she calls the inevitable “dip” – a point where learning intensifies, confidence wavers, and mistakes are more likely or regular.
“That is when the most valuable learning is happening. I often talk to new people joining about this. If you know it’s coming, you’re more prepared for it.”
This long-term mindset underpins Navigatus’ approach to development, including utilisation of apprenticeships.
Structure, support and a route in
Navigatus has embraced apprenticeships as a practical, accessible path into paraplanning, something Aleks believes more firms should explore.
“What people really like is the structure. From week to week, you know exactly what you’re doing, and you get tutor support you just don’t have when you study on your own.”
This was also something that one of Aleks’ team – Kez Condy, mentioned to Professional Paraplanner during National Apprenticeships Week 2026.
Kez also spoke about how the apprenticeship programme and the unwavering support of Aleks, enhanced her skills so much more than she thought they would be able to. Today, she can support others joining Navigatus too.
In fact, the whole Navigatus team gets involved in supporting apprentices. Aligning tasks with learning modules, creating opportunities to practise new skills, and offering collective encouragement.
For small firms, Aleks sees apprenticeships as a hugely undervalued resource.
She said, “It’s like the best‑kept secret.”
As much as Aleks shared her respect of the apprenticeship route she also said that flexibility remains central, with no pressure for every trainee to take the same path.
“The apprenticeship route isn’t right for everyone, and if they prefer to study another way, we support that too.”
Another example of IWD theme ‘Give to Gain’. Navigatus as a business gives structure, time and support, and in turn it gains skilled, confident paraplanners who stay.
Women at the heart of the team
Aleks is adamant that Navigatus didn’t aim to be an all‑women team.
“I’m sure if we were a mixed team, it would be exactly the same. It’s not about being women, it’s about the values we share.”
Even so, the firm stands out in a profession still grappling with gender imbalance, particularly in senior roles.
Her message to women considering financial planning or paraplanning is clear:
“Be true to yourself. Know your values and align every decision with them. There will always be clients – and firms – who resonate with that.”
What comes next
Navigatus’ future is centred on developing people.
Aleks said, “The big focus is entry roles. We want to train more people, create more meaningful jobs. There is so much need for it.”
And as the business grows, internal opportunities are provided by way of mentoring, leadership and operations.
The goal for Aleks and the whole team at Navigatus is simple.
“To be a paraplanning provider of choice, and to attract more people into paraplanning because it’s such a great career.”
A quiet revolution rooted in ‘Give to Gain’
In a profession often shaped by loud voices but sometimes limited action to go with them, Aleks Sasin represents something different.
Slow and steady development, the most thoughtful leadership, and utterly genuine care.
Reflecting on her own experiences, Aleks has built the kind of workplace, and pathway she once wished existed for herself.
She didn’t have that loud voice, and she didn’t need one either. Instead, she used a quietly powerful one that allowed her to act in creating opportunities that genuinely matter in our profession.
Main image: marcus-wallis-PzPLzNK61do-unsplash
