Industry diversity, equity

Stronger together

Representatives of the London, Toronto and Boston chapters of the Women in Securities Finance (WISF) group offer an update on developments over the last 12 months.

Betsy Coyne - senior vice president, client relationship management eSecLending

Harpreet Bains - managing director, global head of product management for agency securities finance J.P. Morgan Mary Jane Schuessler – director, equity finance global equity products BMO Capital Markets

What is WISF working on to support the securities finance industry acknowledge the role and impact of women in the industry?

Betsy Coyne: WISF hosted the opening keynote event at the IMN International Securities Finance & Collateral Management conference in Arizona in May. The discussion (and podcast for WISF Perspectives podcast series) featured behaviour change communication expert, Morgan Hillenbrand, who shared methods for advancing gender equality in male-dominated industries.

WISF members continue to participate in podcasts, which are all available via the WISF website and all major podcast services. Past topics include leading remotely, effective leadership, and self-advocacy.

We also publish a quarterly newsletter that highlights our events, accomplishments, and member updates and promote all this content to augment the networking opportunities of WISF and increase visibility of women in our industry.

I should also highlight the educational initiatives of our members. On International Women’s Day in March, WISF and Vanguard participated in a discussion with high school students local to Vanguard’s headquarters to discuss careers in the mutual fund and securities finance industry with a focus on the importance of distinguishing between excellence and perfection.

What kind of impact have you seen the pandemic have on how women work in the securities finance space?

Mary Jane Schuessler: I often hear how working from home has been a game changer for the work/life balance, especially when you have children in the mix. However, I am also hearing some nervousness about the future. There are many questions WISF is attempting to help answer through research, sharing of past successes, growing network initiatives, and general support.