Women are making strides in entering the financial industry, but they have a long way to go, say the organizers of the CFA Institute 2015 Women In Investment Management conference held recently in San Antonia, Texas.
Although the organizers were struck by the number of women in senior positions attending the conference, they emphasized the need to show young women what the profession is about so that more can join and advance.
The conference was organized to try to get more women involved in financial services, where men dominate. Speakers promoted career advancement and leadership in the investment profession and strategies for a career in investment management.
Bringing more women into the field is part of a need to bring more diversity into financial planning, says Margaret Franklin, president of Marret Private Wealth Inc. in Toronto. The demographics of investors are changing and advisors need to change with them, she adds.
Leah Bennett, co-chief investment officer at South Texas Money Management in San Antonio and a co-organizer of the conference with Franklin, says women from the conference will contact colleges and universities to promote the profession with other women.
“The generation before us broke the glass ceiling,” says Bennett. “Now we have to bring more women in.”
“Biases do not change overnight; it takes work,” Franklin says. She stresses “visibility is validity,” which is the value of these types of conferences and contact with schools.