Gender lens investing

There has been rapid growth in women’s labour force participation over recent decades and the industries projected to experience the greatest employment growth in coming decades are female-dominated. In addition it is well documented that companies with women in senior decision making positions perform better. Despite these gains, the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately hit women workers, increasing the need to adopt a gender lens in investment. Taking strong action to create and sustain high quality jobs for women will be critical in the recovery and create a more inclusive economic recovery. This session looks at the gender gap and the tools and processes available to improve the gender lens for investors both organisationally and for the companies they invest in.[vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Jason%20Lamin%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22%20Founder%20and%20chief%20executive%2C%20Lenox%20Park%20Solutions%20%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22Lenox%20Park%20Solutions%20is%20a%20FinTech%20company%20providing%20collaborative%20software%20and%20data%20aggregation%20tools%20in%20financial%20services.%20The%20firm%E2%80%99s%20mission%20is%20to%20remove%20systemic%20bias%20and%20inefficient%20costs%20relating%20to%20capital%20access.%20Before%20Lenox%20Park%2C%20Lamin%20worked%20in%20the%20New%20York%20and%20London%20offices%20of%20Merrill%20Lynch%2C%20in%20mergers%20%26%20acquisitions%20and%20structured%20credit%20derivatives.%5CnGraduating%20from%20the%20University%20of%20Texas%20at%20Austin%20with%20a%20B.A.%20in%20Economics%2C%20Lamin%20remains%20active%20at%20his%20alma%20mater%2C%20serving%20on%20boards%20for%20the%20departments%20of%20economics%20and%20black%20studies.%20He%20was%20honored%20to%20deliver%20the%20Liberal%20Arts%20Commencement%20Address%20for%202017%20University%20of%20Texas%20graduates%2C%20where%20he%20spoke%20about%20the%20importance%20of%20diversity%20and%20inclusion.%20He%20is%20an%20active%20member%20of%20the%20United%20Nations%20Private%20Sector%20Forum%2C%20and%20in%202008%20founded%20Nyawa%20Funding%20Group%2C%20a%20not-for-profit%20organisation%20with%20a%20mission%20to%20improve%20living%20standards%20in%20Sierra%20Leone.%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2243078%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fjason-lamin-35b826%2F%22%7D%2C%7B%22name%22%3A%22Helena%20Morrissey%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Chair%2C%20Diversity%20Project%20%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22Helena%20Morrissey%20has%20over%20three%20decades%E2%80%99%20experience%20in%20financial%20services%2C%20including%2015%20years%20as%20chief%20executive%20of%20Newton%20Investment%20Management.%20While%20at%20Legal%20%26%20General%20she%20spearheaded%20the%20launch%20of%20the%20UK%E2%80%99s%20first%20gender-lens%20equity%20fund%20for%20retail%20investors.%20Helena%20is%20lead%20NED%20at%20the%20Foreign%2C%20Commonwealth%20and%20Development%20Office%20and%20on%20the%20board%20of%20Green%20Park%2C%20an%20executive%20search%20firm%20specialising%20in%20diverse%20appointments.%20She%20is%20chair%20of%20the%20global%20ESG%20practice%20at%20Edelman%2C%20the%20communications%20consultancy.%5Cn%5CnMorrissey%20is%20well%20known%20for%20her%20work%20on%20inclusion%20and%20diversity.%20In%202010%2C%20she%20founded%20the%2030%25%20Club%2C%20a%20campaign%20for%20better%20gender-balanced%20boards.%20Since%20then%2C%20the%20representation%20of%20women%20on%20FTSE350%20boards%20has%20risen%20from%20less%20than%2010%25%20to%20over%2030%25.%20%20There%20are%20now%20seventeen%2030%25%20Clubs%20throughout%20the%20world.%20Morrissey%20chairs%20the%20Diversity%20Project%2C%20aimed%20at%20improving%20diversity%20across%20all%20dimensions%20in%20the%20investment%20industry.%5Cn%5CnShe%20entered%20the%20House%20of%20Lords%20in%20September%202020%20and%20was%20appointed%20a%20Dame%20in%202017.%20Her%20first%20book%2C%20A%20Good%20Time%20To%20Be%20A%20Girl%2C%20was%20described%20by%20Forbes%20magazine%20as%20one%20of%20the%20five%20most%20empowering%20books%20for%20women%20in%202018.%20She%20posts%20daily%20career%20dressing%20advice%20on%20Instagram%20and%20is%20one%20of%20LinkedIn%E2%80%99s%20%E2%80%98Top%20Voices%E2%80%99.%5Cn%5CnMorrissey%20is%20married%20with%20nine%20children.%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2243079%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fhelena-morrissey-5835a328%2F%3ForiginalSubdomain%3Duk%22%7D%2C%7B%22name%22%3A%22David%20Neal%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Chief%20executive%2C%20IFM%20%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22David%20Neal%20is%20IFM%20Investors%E2%80%99%20chief%20executive%2C%20responsible%20for%20executing%20the%20firm%E2%80%99s%20strategy%20and%20delivering%20strong%20results%20for%20IFM%20Investors%E2%80%99%20clients%2C%20shareholders%20and%20staff.%20He%20leads%20IFM%E2%80%99s%20global%20business%2C%20with%20nine%20offices%20and%20four%20investment%20teams%3A%20infrastructure%2C%20debt%20investments%2C%20listed%20equities%20and%20private%20equity.%5CnNeal%20joined%20IFM%20Investors%20from%20the%20Future%20Fund%2C%20Australia%E2%80%99s%20sovereign%20wealth%20fund%2C%20which%20he%20joined%20in%202007%20as%20its%20inaugural%20chief%20investment%20officer%20before%20becoming%20the%20chief%20executive%20in%202014.%20At%20the%20Future%20Fund%2C%20he%20established%20the%20investment%20team%20and%20built%20and%20designed%20the%20fund%E2%80%99s%20investment%20model.%20Prior%20to%20joining%20the%20Future%20Fund%2C%20he%20spent%2015%20years%20with%20Willis%20Towers%20Watson%2C%20where%20he%20started%20his%20career%20in%20the%20UK.%20He%20went%20on%20to%20establish%20and%20lead%20the%20firm%E2%80%99s%20investment%20consulting%20business%20in%20Australia.%20As%20head%20of%20investment%20consulting%20at%20Willis%20Towers%20Watson%20Australia%2C%20Neal%20led%20the%20team%20providing%20advisory%20services%20to%20the%20Future%20Fund%20when%20it%20was%20established%20in%202006.%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2243080%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fdavid-neal-0a956919%2F%3ForiginalSubdomain%3Dau%22%7D%5D” title=”Speakers” el_class=””][vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Amanda%20White%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Director%2C%20institutional%20content%2C%20Conexus%20Financial%20%20%20%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22White%20is%20responsible%20for%20the%20content%20across%20all%20Conexus%20Financial%E2%80%99s%20institutional%20media%20and%20events.%20She%20is%20responsible%20for%20directing%20the%20bi-annual%20Fiduciary%20Investors%20Symposium%20which%20challenges%20global%20investors%20on%20investment%20best%20practice%20and%20aims%20to%20place%20the%20responsibilities%20of%20investors%20in%20wider%20societal%2C%20and%20political%20contexts%2C%20as%20well%20as%20promote%20the%20long-term%20stability%20of%20markets%20and%20sustainable%20retirement%20incomes.%20She%20is%20the%20editor%20of%20conexust1f.flywheelstaging.com%2C%20the%20online%20news%20and%20analysis%20site%20for%20the%20world%E2%80%99s%20largest%20institutional%20investors.%20White%20has%20been%20an%20investment%20journalist%20for%20more%20than%2020%20years%20and%20has%20edited%20industry%20journals%20including%20Investment%20%26%20Technology%2C%20Investor%20Weekly%20and%20MasterFunds%20Quarterly.%20She%20was%20previously%20editorial%20director%20of%20InvestorInfo%20and%20has%20worked%20as%20a%20freelance%20journalist%20for%20the%20Australian%20Financial%20Review%2C%20CFO%2C%20Asset%20and%20Asia%20Asset%20Management.%20She%20has%20a%20Bachelor%20of%20Economics%20from%20Sydney%20University%20and%20a%20Master%20of%20Arts%20in%20Journalism%20from%20the%20University%20of%20Technology%2C%20Sydney.%20She%20was%20previously%20a%20columnist%20for%20the%20Canadian%20publication%2C%20Corporate%20Knights%2C%20which%20is%20distributed%20by%20the%20Globe%20and%20Mail%20and%20The%20Washington%20Post.%20White%20is%20currently%20a%20fellow%20in%20the%20Finance%20Leaders%20Fellowship%20at%20the%20Aspen%20Institute.%20The%20two-year%20program%20consists%20of%2022%20fellows%20and%20seeks%20to%20develop%20the%20next%20generation%20of%20responsible%2C%20community-spirited%20leaders%20in%20the%20global%20finance%20industry.%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2243061%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Famanda-white-101a7515%2F%3ForiginalSubdomain%3Dau%22%7D%5D” title=”Moderator” el_class=””][vc_empty_space height=”10px”]

Key takeaways

[vc_empty_space height=”10px”]

Unanswered questions and answers

[vc_empty_space height=”10px”]

Poll results

TBC[vc_line_chart][vc_empty_space height=”10px”]

Related reading

Diversity impact score