President`s Message- March 2018

NOMINATIONS FOR 2018 WIBF AWARDS ARE IN | AWARDS LUNCHEON TICKETS AVAILABLE | WIBF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING |

“Nominations for the 21st WIBF Awards for Achievement are now in! We are delighted by the level of support and number of nominations received. Thank you to all who took the time to nominate colleagues for the WIBF Awards. Your support is vital not only in ensuring the receipt of nominations, but in facilitating that colleague-to-colleague recognition, that inter-sector celebration which is key to the WIBF Awards for Achievement. Yes, winning is marvellous for the individual but the collective celebration of colleagues’ achievements is what we pride ourselves on at WIBF and is the motivation for our desire for greater opportunity and gender parity in our industry.

The shortlist will be announced in next month’s newsletter (3rd April) and the hard work will then be from our respected industry judges:

· Marian Bloodworth, Partner, Kemp Little LLP
· Sarah Carroll, Managing Director, MUFG
· Jane Karczewski, Managing Director, HSBC
· Melanie Seymour, Managing Director, BlackRock
· Vanessa Vallely, Managing Director, WeAreTheCity
· Nick Williams, Managing Director, Lloyds Banking Group

Find out what our judges, Melanie Seymour, Jane Karczewski and Vanessa Vallely will be looking for in the nominations on our website.

Do save the date for the 21st Awards Luncheon on Friday 15th June – tickets are available on our website and do spread the word about this impressive (and fun) event with great networking opportunities amongst your network. You don’t have to be a WIBF member to attend.

#WIBFAwards

CHARITY 2018 – BAKHITA HOUSE

The WIBF 2018 charity, Bakhita House, carries out compassionate work with female victims of human trafficking and slavery.

Last year more than £6000 was raised at the Awards Luncheon for Bakhita House. Please help us to raise even more money in 2018.

https://www.caritaswestminster.org.uk/bakhita-house.php

WIBF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The WIBF AGM will take place on Tuesday 24th April, 6-8pm, in London. All members are very welcome to attend. Please register to attend on our website

HMT TREASURY SELECT COMMITTEE – WOMEN IN FINANCIAL SERVICES

Jennie Koo (WIBF Birmingham Branch Chair) and I were delighted to participate in the HMT Treasury Select Committee Hearing at the House of Commons on 21 February. The Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP, Chair of the Treasury Committee, together with a number of the Treasury Committee members, presided over and facilitated the discussions which explored the career progression and barriers experienced by women in the financial services sector, together with suggestions around what changes firms need to make in practices and policies to ensure improved gender equality at all levels.

During the Chatham House Rule discussions, a number of areas for potential change were discussed including increased transparency around pay, opportunities and data; linking pay to both quantitative and qualitative performance measures; building more inclusive scorecards to drive more gender balanced behaviours; and including men in the discussion and actions, to name but a few.

There was a tremendous buzz in the room and intense interest in what the next steps from the Government may be.

WIBF THOUGHT LEADERSHIP RESEARCH

We were delighted to launch the thought leadership proposal at the Corporate Breakfast on 21 February, focusing on preparing a research paper on the “missing middle”, which is an area of challenge for our members.

There were some great ideas and suggestions shared, and a unanimous endorsement to proceed with this new venture. Do watch out for further details around how our members can participate in this important study, which we hope will help organisations better understand this issue and pivot to change to address the challenge.

Vivienne Artz
WIBF President“