Enhancing Public Visibility of Females and Diversity Across the Finance Industry
In 2020, 100 Women in Finance (100WF) CEO Amanda Pullinger had an insightful conversation with Judy Posnikoff, Managing Director at Martlet Asset Management, LLC. A childhood surrounded by strong female role models and a diverse representation of people from all different backgrounds greatly influenced her decision to enter the investment management industry as a career path.
Now, in 2022, as Judy transitions from her role as a global association board member and 100WF Secretary we want to revisit that discussion and highlight some aspects of how her upbringing shaped her views of, and how to continue to draw more female representation and diversity into, the finance industry.
The following is an excerpt of Judy Posnikoff’s 2020 podcast:
“When I was young, I would go look at property with my dad and meet all of these really interesting women that were working in an aspect of the finance industry even then. I thought that was an appealing area that women could go into and be very, very successful….and saw it as a career path. Growing up my family friends came from all different backgrounds, professions, religions, and so forth. I think what it did was produce an openness and appreciation of differences…in ways of interacting and looking at different issues, problems, and opportunities, which I believe has actually helped serve me very well.”
“As 100WF has increased the visibility of women in finance and enhanced awareness for increasing diversity and inclusion in the workplace, we, as individuals, can still do more. One thing we need to do is really talk to young people – both young women and young men – about what it is that we do as an industry. If you think about the world of finance, almost everything that we do touches society in a way that’s often very positive. I think the more that we talk about it, the more that young women in particular will be attracted and interested in the industry because they feel that there is that social value that they don’t normally think about when they think about the world of finance. In terms of diversity, I also think it’s really important to think (about diversity) across a number of dynamics. There’s gender, geography, thought, background, and so forth. What we’re really looking to do is to serve the diversity of the finance industry as a whole.”
To experience the full interview click HERE.
Update Question
Judy since this interview in 2020, there has been significant change as the world continues to place a spotlight on diversity. We see this message reinforced regularly in the media. Do you feel this has been reflected in a more rapid change in attitudes and numbers in our industry in the last several years?
“Yes, to a large extent. The gender breakdown of young people entering the industry is about at parity so the pipeline is working. The industry is becoming more diverse at all levels. Where I continue to see disturbing numbers is at the mid-career point. Women continue to drop out of the industry during one of their most critical career segments. We (the finance industry) need to do more to accommodate re-entry to the business. I was fortunate to serve this year on the review committees for 100WF’s inaugural DEI Awards for EMEA and North America and was very impressed by the “returnship” programs and other ways many leading firms are working to maintain both flexibility and opportunities to retain or welcome back women at this important phase of their career. Hopefully, these programs help to mitigate the loss of women in the industry as they move further along in their careers.”
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