The CFA Society® community around the globe has joined efforts to promote inclusion and diversity in the investment management profession.
January 2021
The CFA Society® community around the globe has joined efforts to promote inclusion and diversity in the investment management profession.
Modelled on the CFA Institute Women in Investment (WIM) initiative, 19 local societies and five FPA chapters have created a unique program to support the advancement of female professionals of all backgrounds, across the finance industry. The Collaborative WIM initiative is led by a Steering Committee comprised of CFA Society leaders (as pictured above, from left to right):
Sarah Yao Schutzman, CFA, Managing Partner, Providence Heights Capital Management LLC (on behalf of CFA Society Indianapolis WIM)
Arielle Bittoni, CFA, Chief Wealth Strategist, Refresh Investments LLC (on behalf of CFA Society Los Angeles Women’s Member Community)
Christine Tinker, CFA, Equity Portfolio Manager, Northern Trust Asset Management (on behalf of CFA Society Chicago Women’s Network)
Victoria Prescott, CFA, Associate Director, Capital Markets & Investor Relations at Realty Income Corporation (on behalf of CFA Society San Diego Advocacy Committee)
Regina Gaysina, Vice President, Municipal Finance at RBC Capital Markets (on behalf of CFA Society New Mexico Women’s Advisory Committee)
By working together, the CFA Society network and FPA community aims to support the advancement and development of female leaders, establish a broad-based community, combine resources to promote a shared vision, and create a demand for diversity.
Sarah Yao Schutzman, CFA, Managing Partner of Providence Heights Capital Management LLC explained, “Despite immense progress towards diversity, the reality remains that there are still relatively few women in senior leadership roles and even fewer minority women. This means that women often lack the natural mentorship and sponsorship that tends to take place at the middle and senior levels, necessitating that they work harder to establish their own support network. We hope that this initiative will help to inspire young female professionals to shoot for the highest positions of leadership within their organizations.”
With a combined member base exceeding 32,000, this partnership will enhance networking opportunities at all levels and facilitate the formation of a peer support system for members. The CFA Society network also sees the new world of virtual programming as an opportunity to build a global community, and to share resources to create exceptional programs.
Collaborative WIM Events
The Collaborative WIM initiative held its inaugural event on 29 September 2020, hosted virtually by the CFA Society Chicago Women’s Network. This was the first in a series of programs designed to celebrate female leaders and inspire young professionals.
Nearly 200 CFA Society and FPA members attended the event where Stephanie Cohen, Chief Strategy Officer of Goldman Sachs candidly shared her career journey, highlighting the importance of establishing a personal board of directors in our respective career journeys. Ahead of the event, Goldman had announced that Stephanie would co-run the bank’s consumer banking and wealth management practice, marking the first time in years that a woman will run a major division.
The Collaborative WIM program series includes events on:
“M&A and the COVID-19 Impact: Crisis or Opportunity?” with Stephanie Cohen, Chief Strategy Officer of Goldman Sachs (hosted by CFA Society Chicago on 29 September 2020)
“Gender Gap Investing” with Nannette Hechler-Fayd’herbe, Chief Investment Officer of International Wealth Management and Global Head of Economics & Research of Credit Suisse (hosted by CFA Society Switzerland on 3 December 2020)
“Hack Your Own Brain” with Dr. Karolien Notebaert, Founder of One-Step Ahead, Notebaert Consulting (hosted by CFA Society Indianapolis on 12 January 2021)
“The 10 Marketing Tools You Never Knew You’ve Always Needed” with Sheryl Hickerson, CEO, Females and Finance (hosted by FPA Austin on 12 January 2021)
“Secrets of Wealthy and Successful Women” with Veronica Dagher, Co-Creator, Wall Street Journal Podcast Series: Secrets of Wealthy Women (hosted by Women Investing in Security and Education on 26 January 2021)
“Break Free from Imposter Syndrome: Embrace Your Confident, Capable Self” with Michelle Galloway, Of Counsel at Cooley (hosted by CFA Society Indianapolis on 3 February 2021)
“The Myth of Fearlessness” with Mary Poffenroth, STEM Faculty at San Jose University (hosted by CFA Society Los Angeles on 6 May 2021)
Sarah Yao Schutzman, CFA, concluded: “Representation is powerful. Elevating and showcasing accomplished women from all backgrounds has a powerful impact on the diversity dialogue. We are building a geography-agnostic community to empower female professionals and to inspire the next generations of women.”
For updates and upcoming events, follow the Collaborative WIM Initiative on LinkedIn: Collaborative WIM Initiative LinkedIn
Learn more about this initiative and its partner societies here: CFA Society Chicago Collaborative WIM Page
Additionally, CFA Institute hosted its annual Women in Investment Management Conference in October 2020 and is exclusively offering the content from this conference to society audiences here.