New York – 13 November 2024 – 100 Women in Finance (“100WF”), the global membership organization dedicated to advancing women into board and executive leadership positions within the finance industry, today announced it raised more than $800,000 in support of the 100 Women in Finance Foundation (“100WF Foundation”). The organization also presented two annual awards, one individual and the other corporate. More than 450 industry professionals attended its 23rd annual New York Gala held on November 6 at Cipriani 42nd Street.
The 100 Women in Finance Foundation, the gala beneficiary, supports the organization’s programs and initiatives; its overall mission, known as Vision 30/40, is for 30% of C-suite positions to be filled by women by the year 2040.
Carole K. Crawford, 100WF Global Association Board Chair, gave opening remarks, highlighting the organization’s remarkable success, and sharing the vision for its future trajectory. Emphasizing the achievements thus far, Crawford noted the organization’s broad reach to 32 locations and more than 30,000 registered members. 100WF hosts frequent meetings of financial services professionals and others serving the financial sector, with industry leaders speaking on topics of education and professional development for women at early career, mid-career and senior levels. This year, there were more than 225 programs offered globally. Crawford acknowledged the dedicated team, volunteers, and supporters who make these successes possible and underscored the ongoing commitment to empowering women in the finance industry.
The event featured the presentation of the annual 100WF Americas Industry Leadership Award by Heather Wyckoff, 100WF Global Association Board Secretary. This year, Esmeralda del Bosque, Principal Investment Officer at Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (“LACERA”), was honored for her achievements and leadership in the financial services industry. This Award acknowledges exemplary professional talent, business ethics, and passion for investing that further define and advance the industry’s standards of excellence.
To view past 100WF Industry Leadership Award honorees click here.
“I am deeply honored to receive the 100 Women in Finance Americas Industry Leadership Award and extend my heartfelt gratitude for this recognition. I am inspired by 100 Women in Finance’s commitment to advancing excellence, empowering women, and making a meaningful impact in our industry. I look forward to continuing this important work alongside them and their incredible members,” stated Esmeralda del Bosque, Principal Investment Officer at LACERA, in accepting the award.
Pictured left to right: Heather Wyckoff, Jonathan Grabel, Esmeralda del Bosque, and Carole K. Crawford
Sherri Rossoff, 100WF Global Association Board member, introduced the Americas Industry DEI Award, sharing its origins and desired impact. Wellington Management emerged as the winner of the 100WF Americas Industry DEI Award, amidst fierce industry competition. This achievement was attributed to their deliberate implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and initiatives. This dedicated approach has led to a notable enhancement in female representation within senior investment and executive committee roles within the organization.
“We are honored to receive the 100WF Americas Industry DEI award for the second time, recognizing our deliberate efforts to hire, develop and advance a diverse workforce, while promoting equity, equality and inclusion for everyone. We are in a knowledge business, focused on achieving investment excellence for our clients, and our focus on DEI enables us to deliver better outcomes for our clients,” said Shawna Ferguson, chief diversity officer at Wellington Management and Jackie Curley, Associate Director, Investment Strategy. “By collaborating with 100WF, we aim to enhance the representation of women and non-binary professionals from a range of backgrounds in finance to drive meaningful change. With active participation from our employees, clients and industry peers, we support 100WF’s Vision 30/40 mission.”
Pictured left to right: Sherri Rossoff and Jaclyn Curley
The goal held by 100 Women in Finance in creating the award is to recognize those organizations that are driving forward and shaping the future of women in the finance industry. The hope is to make these organization’s efforts and positive results more visible to other companies and individuals, inspiring others to be catalysts of change.
The finalists for this year’s Americas Industry DEI Award were NEPC LLC and Strategic Investment Group. We commend all the finalists and applicants for their commitment to DEI in the industry. For more information about the Industry DEI Award click here.
New York Gala Chair Karina Fin stated in her opening remarks, “When I envision 2040 (Vision 30/40 mission), both my daughters will likely be in college. Whether they choose to pursue a career in finance or not, I am hopeful they will see more gender equity and diverse representation in our industry. They won’t feel alone in a room, like I once did. They’ll feel seen, empowered and inspired in a room like this one.”
New York Gala Committee pictured left to right: Mary McAvey, Tara Nolan, Karina Fin, Vanessa Yuan, Caroline Martelly, and Aditi Agarwal (not pictured: Kira Golenko, Han Wei Koh, Elizabeth Moreno, and Bonnie Sussman)
The 100WF Foundation supports the organization’s programs and initiatives that empower women in the industry at every career stage and inspire the next generation of pre-career women to find pathways into the industry. Donations to support the 100WF Foundation can be made here.