Look Who’s One!
October marks the one year anniversary of the #DiversityProjectNorthAmerica. Catch a glimpse of what we’ve been up to--and where we’re heading as we gear up to drive change in the asset management industry. View Year in Review
“Fall often ushers in a sense of change and opportunity,” said Jylanne Dunne, VP, Diversity Project North America. “It’s a great time to reflect upon the Diversity Project North America: where we are in our journey, and where we are going. On this, our one year anniversary of the launch of the program, we are encouraged by our progress, delighted by the steadfast commitment of our volunteers, mindful of the hard work ahead, and more hopeful than ever for an inclusive asset management industry.” Read NICSA Insights.
We were also thrilled to be a sponsor of the Bonhill Group Women in Asset Management Awards last month. These awards honored exemplary and forward-thinking women working within the asset management industry across 16 categories, including Business Role Model of the Year, Bond Manager of the Year and Woman of the Year.
Member Update
Welcome, Janus Henderson Investors, the Diversity Project North America’s latest Founding Member.
This brings the total number of Founding Members to 32. There are still opportunities for more industry leaders to join as Participating Members. View complete list of member firms.
Ready to Join the Movement? Contact Jylanne Dunne, VP, Diversity Project for more information on becoming a member.
DP Spotlight: D&I Initiatives that Work
A Word from Schroders, a Diversity Project Founding Member
“We consider diversity of thought and experience as being the heart of Schroders. We are committed to fostering an inclusive culture of diversity across our global workforce.
A big driver of Schroders’ D&I initiatives are our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which give employees a platform to celebrate diversity, influence change, and improve interactions with stakeholders. Our Gender Equality Network, for example, championed flexible working policies and created global communications to reinforce the support of these arrangements. Check out the video here.
In order to increase diversity, we must stay involved in outreach and talent development. Schroders has started a financial literacy blog, MoneyLens, which is driven by our millennial workforce to create talent development and education opportunities both internally and externally. We distribute the content across social media platforms to reach a non-industry audience to drive interest in, and understanding of, the financial industry.
Building partnership with industry groups is also extremely important. Schroders is one of the founding firms of the UK Diversity Project (CEO Peter Harrison sits on the Advisory Council). In the US, we’ve signed on as a Participating Member of NICSA’s Diversity Project North America and participate in the CFA Experimental Partners program. These groups provide opportunities to be part of the solution as the industry moves in the direction toward meeting the needs of our clients.”
Did You Know?
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. First launched by Congress as the first week in October, “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week” was renamed and extended to a month in 1998. The annual event draws attention to employment barriers that still need to be addressed.
October is LGBT History Month. Started in 1994 as a U.S. observance to recognize the history of the gay-rights movement and recognize the LGBT+ community.