WIBF President discusses the Road to BAME and Gender Parity

In the latest episode of DiverCity Podcast, host Julia Streets is joined by our President of Women in Banking and Finance, Vivienne Artz, and Dr Miranda Brawn, Director of Legal and Transaction Services at Daiwa Capital Markets and Founder and CEO of the Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation, each with over 20 years’ experience spanning law, banking, investment and financial services.

“DiverCity Podcast is about the all important topic of diversity and inclusion in financial services.  The show  features industry recognised commentators and drivers of change in a discussion debate style format.

In the latest episode of DiverCity Podcast, host Julia Streets is joined by our President of Women in Banking and Finance, Vivienne Artz, and Dr Miranda Brawn, Director of Legal and Transaction Services at Daiwa Capital Markets and Founder and CEO of the Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation, each with over 20 years’ experience spanning law, banking, investment and financial services.

Topics discussed on the episode include: the road to gender parity, attracting more BAME professionals to senior positions, finding and creating opportunities for the talent of the future, driving action and accountability with initiatives like the Women in Finance Charter, and why we need diversity champions at every level.

On discussing the overall developments in Diversity and Inclusion, Vivienne Artz comments:
“There`s been profile, there`s been budget, there`s been enthusiasm, there`s been senior level support. The needle has moved, but it hasn’t moved far enough. And I think a lot of firms are now looking internally and saying, “”Well, what do we need to do to actually genuinely move the needle?”” The rate of change is such that it`s going to be decades before we reach gender parity, particularly at the senior levels…”

On hopes for the future, Vivienne says: “I think we`re at the crest of the wave, I’m very excited at the moment. I know we have a lot to do, but the excitement comes from the fact that I think we are at an inflection point in history. We are at an inflection point because we have gender pay gap reporting for the first time, not only in the UK but also now for the EU. A genuine progress in terms of gender pay gap there, certainly the initiative.”

“We also have the 100 year anniversary of women getting the vote. So it`s recognising one of the most fundamental elements of parity, which is having a voice. And the Women in Finance Charter, which has been sponsored by HMT, has been hugely powerful in terms of calling firms to genuine action. So moving from strategy and ambition, to action and accountability, and I’m thinking that this is where we`re really going to be seeing the change.”

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