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In the EMEA region, CFA Societies have worked together to promote the importance of building a diverse and gender-balanced culture that better serves investors and society.
In 2018, CFA Society Ukraine collaborated with 15 regional societies in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) to widely promote the diversity agenda at the Women in Investment Management CEE Forum. Following its success, CFA Society Romania hosted the second forum in Bucharest in June 2019.
Inspired by the CEE collaboration and supported by CFA Society Ukraine and CFA Societies from across the MENA region, CFA Society Bahrain launched an inaugural Diversity and Inclusion in Finance conference for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in March 2019.
Both large-scale events have been hugely successful and have helped to give a broader voice to the issues of diversity in the EMEA region.
Women in Investment Management CEE Forum
Almost half of the members of CFA Society Romania are females – one of the highest percentages of female society members globally. It was, therefore, fitting that the second Women in Investment Management CEE Forum was held in Bucharest on 20 June 2019.
Entitled “The Key to a Better Workplace: Investing in Women", the event featured more than 150 specialists from 15 countries who shared their thoughts on diversity, inclusion, financial education and leadership.
Adrian Codirlasu, CFA, President, CFA Society Romania said: “The event was dedicated to inspiring women in their careers, with the ultimate goal of showing the importance of the CFA designation in the finance world. We hope that we can improve investor outcomes by encouraging gender diversity in the investment management profession.” The evening ended with Gala Dinner, where the traditional Romanian blouse was celebrated along with Romanian music and food.
Paul Smith, CFA, past-president and CEO at CFA Institute, attended the event and stated: “A truly wonderful conference and experience here in Bucharest. Everything was simply excellent. The speakers, the organisation and the attendees”.
1st Diversity and Inclusion in Finance MENA Conference, Bahrain
Held on 9 March 2019 to coincide with International Women’s Day (8 March), the Diversity and Inclusion in Finance MENA conference aimed to highlight the importance of the inclusion of women in the financial sector and presented best practices in leadership. The conference featured CFA Society members, candidates, sponsors and delegates from CFA Society Bahrain and across the MENA region and was also open to the wider financial community.
Through its influential speeches, insightful panel discussions and interactive workshops, the conference raised awareness and emphasized the importance of building a diverse and gender-balanced culture that better serves investors and society.
“Attendees included as many male participants as female ones, either as attendees or speakers in panel discussions, which helped promote a mind-set that builds bridges, rather than walls, for women in the workplace,” said Yousif Musayeb, CFA, board member, CFA Society Bahrain. “After the great success, the plan is for the conference to travel to a different country in the region every year. Hence, the 2nd DIF MENA Conference will take place in Riyadh and we are currently supporting CFA Society Saudi Arabia by sharing our experience with them and providing ideas and suggestions to ensure another impactful and effective conference in March 2020.”
Randi Tolber attended the event and commented: “What an inspiring and rewarding experience to see the great passion and achievements of women in the region, and especially the support of their male colleagues at all levels of industry and government.”
Both the CEE and MENA conferences were preceded by a full-day Women in Investment Management Leadership training session organised by the local Societies for female board members and volunteers, with Dr Karolien Notebaert and RADA presenting.
The conferences showcase what can be achieved when CFA Societies come together, collaborate and learn from one another.
On the same theme, CFA Society San Diego proudly hosted its first Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Symposium on 26 September 2019, which attracted over 130 attendees. Sessions focused on how D&I can generate organisational alpha, portfolio returns and how to initiate D&I awareness within a company. The Society believes this was just a start towards the industry’s initiatives to empower more individuals to join the discussion and take action towards a more diverse culture and team.
Vanessa Wieliczko, President of CFA Society San Diego, commented: “We’re hopeful that our efforts to bring forward quantitative research, new perspectives, and potential solutions, will have an exponential impact within the community as symposium participants return to their own firms inspired to act.”
© 2019 CFA Institute. All rights reserved
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