April 4, 2022 – 100 Women in Finance (“100WF”), a global nonprofit finance industry organization, today announces the expansion to its fifth continent and 31 global locations with the addition of Kenya-East Africa and South Africa.
100WF’s primary activities are focused on career advancement, development of the next generation of professionals, women’s industry leadership and social impact on pre-career education for young women. By expanding its global footprint to Africa, 100WF will broaden its reach, strengthen its mission to empower women from every background and increase the number of women in investment and executive leadership roles by 2040.
Through a series of global and local events and a partnership with the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) beginning in 2021, 100WF has developed content and communities for finance industry professionals and outreach to university students. A timeline of activities and events to date is available here.
Amanda Pullinger, CEO, 100WF, said of the organization’s growth: “We are thrilled to be formally adding Kenya-East Africa and South Africa to the 100WF organization. Our expansive global footprint has put 100WF in a unique position to be able to collaborate with regional industry associations, global firms in the finance industry seeking to empower their female employees, and importantly individual members across the globe – to be a leader in advancing women in finance at every career stage. Having a presence now in 31 global locations ensures that women in our industry can connect locally and globally as we move the overall 100WF mission forward.”
In welcoming a new Kenya-East Africa location, our local Working Group commented: “We are thrilled to have Kenya become an official 100WF location. As a working group we see an opportunity to bring both women and men in the industry together to network and have meaningful conversations which we can implement as active finance professionals in East Africa. We want to highlight unique perspectives from leaders in the region that can help enhance women’s positions in the industry across all levels. We also look forward to reaching women at the entry levels of their finance careers so that they have the guidance they need to navigate the sector right from the onset.”
In welcoming a new South Africa location, our local Working Group said: “The South African working group is delighted that South Africa has joined the 100WF community and is excited about the powerful prospect of combining 100WF’s exceptional global content and connections with local enthusiasm and commitment to enhance gender equality and opportunities in South Africa across the career spectrum. We believe that 100WF can play a meaningful role as an “aggregator” of women empowerment initiatives within the South African financial industry by forming mutually beneficial partnership with various public and private stakeholders.
An official launch event will be held in early June 2022. Thereafter, several interesting and topical events are being planned, such as: a thought leadership event with a high-profile male speaker focusing on “Why men need to focus on Gender Equality in the workplace”, an educational career session for students and an informative fireside chat on financial planning. We look forward to establishing a diverse, vibrant, and engaged 100WF membership base in South Africa.”
100WF encourages inquiries from individuals and corporates to either Kenya@100women.org or SouthAfrica@100women.org.
100WF Membership is open to all – women and men – and draws professionals from a wide spectrum of the finance industry who support its mission.
About Kenya-East Africa
For over a decade, Kenya and Nairobi, in particular, have built an emergent and increasingly diverse finance and startup investment ecosystem. As of 2020, Kenya had the third largest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa, behind Nigeria and South Africa. Additionally, the Kenyan government recognizes the importance of empowering women and girls and has endorsed a gender equality agenda in its 2010 constitution, its national development plan, Vision 2030 and its legal and policy frameworks, namely the National Policy on Gender and Development. 100WF will seek opportunities in the location to purposefully help advance women in finance roles and introduce women to finance careers.
About South Africa
South Africa’s banking, financial services and asset management sectors are the most developed in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. The country is home to a number of major banks, multinational insurers, one of the top 20 largest stock exchanges and a wide range of investment services providers. Over the next 10 years, there is likely to be a notable increase in demand for financial services due to projected moderate economic growth and shifts in population demographics. Diversity and gender inclusion is particularly important across the public and private sectors with the South African government as well as many large and small corporates addressing more inclusive working environments. 100WF’s focus on high quality and relevant global industry education events, professional development, and networking opportunities to exchange diverse ideas and perspectives will be a valuable addition for professionals in South Africa.