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Women in ETFs (WE) celebrated its two-year anniversary at Inside ETFs conference in Hollywood Florida with a breakfast event. In 2015 WE expanded membership to 1,600 with over 900 new members added. U.S. chapters in Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Washington represent 60% of current membership, with 21% from Europe, 9% from Canada and 10% from Asia Pacific. WE’s mission is to connect, support, and inspire women and men across the ETF industry, spanning fund managers, exchanges, index providers, brokers, lawyers and custodians. A large part of its programs include high-quality of education, networking, and charitable events it offers both members and non-members.
Deborah Fuhr, Managing Partner of ETFGI and WE Co-Founder indicated “The success we have enjoyed in this short period has exceeded all our expectations and validates the desire of women to build and expand their networks and skills for their professional advancement. We also have 10% male members from the ETF ecosystem that are engaged in and support the advancement of women.”
At the WE 2rd anniversary breakfast on January 25, nearly 200 attendees participated in discussions and a survey on trends in the ETF industry and on professional development topics. A highlight of the polling survey was Smart Beta as the top driver for the ETF flows in 2016. The attendees saw the growth in the ETF industry coming from investors switching from mutual fund assets, Robo Advisors, and increased use of ETFs by pension funds, endowments, and foundations. Regulatory concerns were identified as the key challenge for the ETF industry in 2016.
Over 60% of the audience was more optimistic about women’s position in the ETF industry as compared to one year ago. Top priorities for advancing the position of women in the industry include recruiting and hiring more women as well as developing programs to increase the number of women in senior positions. WE provides a career center where sponsors can post jobs as well as the numerous networking events around the globe to provide more access to career opportunities for women in our industry.
Sue Thompson, Senior Advisor to BlackRock and WE Co-Founder and outgoing Co-President, commented, “we have been fortunate to have significant support from ETF industry firms for our over 50 events last year that included educational panels and networking opportunities for members.” Numerous ETF industry firms provided financial and in-kind support for Women in ETF events, including PowerShares QQQ, State Street Global Advisors SPDR, Citi, iShares, Jane Street, and Vanguard.
Joanne Hill, Head of Institutional Investment Strategy at ProShares and WE Co-President & Co-Founder remarked “WE is looking forward to a great 2016 ahead, including a partnership with The United Nations in honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2016, where WE again will “Ring the Bell for Gender Equality” at various securities exchanges around the globe. WE will also expand its reach in education and professional development with its webcast platform."
