Institutional Investor is pleased to announce our Global Top 50 Women in Investment Management, a celebration of 50 distinguished women who are leaders and role models in their approach to their professional and personal lives.
We are fostering a network of motivated and influential professionals who understand the unique position and associated challenges of being a woman in this industry.
By connecting together offering support, experience, and a sense of community to one another – and by collectively contributing to the group’s overall professional and personal development – we aspire for this group to empower individuals and advance discussions around gender diversity, access, and gender visibility.
Inclusion, diversity of thought, and diversity of experience are featured through our carefully curated stories and meet-up themes. Addressing topics which impact women today, during discussions also formulate concrete steps as well as look for tangible outcomes.
Featuring Chairperson Roz Hewsenian, CIO at Helmsley Charitable Trust, it’s with great honor that we celebrate this movement of influential women who have the passion to leverage their voices to push the industry forward. Read first hand stories straight from them, peer-to-peer advice, networking, and more.
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We are honoring
*Presented in an alphabetical order by fund name
Amy McGarrity
CIO
Colorado PERA - Public Employees' Retirement Association of Colorado
United States
Erika Tikka
Head, External Fixed Income
Finnish Local Government Pensions Institution (KEVA)
Finland
Miyuki Zeniya
Fellow, Head of Sustainable Finance
The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Limited
Japan
"Until we figure out the childcare dilemma, and without the culture of firms shifting a bit to be inclusive of young caregivers (regardless of gender) who want to be home for dinner or do school drop off occasionally, it’s hard to envision this changing" - Hill
Read Hill's story here: Pursuing Multiple Ways to Win
“We don't pay men to take paternity leave. We don't set up men's compensation to look the same as when their partners are having children: They may not be having them physically, but they're having them emotionally. We need to equalize that in some way.” - Rodell
Read Rodell's story here: Glacial Changes
"I have always tried to continue to be curious and open-minded, to really kind of look at your life top down almost, watch out for good opportunities on your way, although maybe it’s not planned that way" - Stanghellini
Read Stanghellini's story here: The Viking from Sienna
"I think it helps to understand how you are seen by men if you’re in a male-dominated environment (Having your eye on the other perspective is important), but the reality is we are individuals" - Bridgeland
Read Bridgeland's story here: Sally Bridgeland: Joining the Masters
“Diversity is important in any form, and prioritizing not only the difference between men and women but also the difference in thinking and the difference in working style, will lead to the creation of new ideas and the activation of the team by tapping many perspectives.” - Ogawa
Read Ogawa's story here: Staying Neutral in a Crisis
"Be brave, be courageous, and acknowledge your achievements." - McDonald
Read McDonald's story here: Liza McDonald, Head of Responsible Investment, Aware Super
"There are still many assumptions made about what it takes to be a leader and about the career and personal decisions that both men and women make. I strongly believe that each family should be able to make its own decisions and that, to support this, there should be equal rights to maternity/paternity leave." - Elwell
Read Elwell's story here: Rachel Elwell, CEO, Border to Coast: A CEO for All Seasons
“As humans, we are visual beings, and we live life through generalizations. My job is not to break what people think about Asian women: It’s more to have people see me as an individual.” - Cheng
Read Cheng's story here: A Masterclass in the Art of Patience
“I think it’s important to network and find sponsors: I’ve been so fortunate to have women and men sponsor my career. They have given me advice. It’s important to listen and take it. Every one of us will fall down and make mistakes, but you need to keep moving; don’t take no; stick to things you’re passionate about.” - Jimenez
Read Jimenez's story here: Geraldine Jimenez, Director, Investment Strategy and Risk, CalSTRS: Teachers' Pet
“I’m very passionate about getting more women in finance. The excuse that ‘We can’t find women, but we’re trying’ is just an excuse. We have to collectively do better for women – and for minorities. I’m pleased to see there are more female-founded firms. I’d also like to see more funds founded by minorities.” - Schwab
Read Schwab's story here: Trading Marx and Engels for Venture Capital and Private Equity
“We always say, ‘For a life insurance company, investment is not a 100-meter race, it’s a marathon.’ We don’t care much whether we could win in the short-term: We aim to win in the long run.” - Zhang
Read Zhang's story here: Michelle Zhang, Head of Investment Center, China Life Insurance: Best Life at China Life
“When I joined, building a team that’s diverse in views and gender and race was important.” - Deshler
Read Deshler's story here: Kelsey Deshler, CIO, Carleton College: Giving it the old college try
"I think that there are more women in the industry overall than when I started. But there are still challenges, and some of them are related to the old things that have always existed around women and careers and family and finding ways of working." - Washington
Read Washington's story here: Kelli Washington, Managing Director, Cleveland Clinic Investment Office: You Can Go Home Again
"I am aware that I myself am privileged to work in a very equal work community. Examples also matter, and it has been inspiring in one's own organisation to follow the rise of women as well as men to demanding positions" - Tikka
Read Tikka's story here: Building Trust with Authenticity
“I claim every tribe that claims me. Due to the nature of what I look like, Asians don’t always claim me, but I always claim them: I want to speak for everybody where they are not seen for the value they bring.” - Lew
Read Lew's story here: Playing in the Ivy League
“I think you get in life what you have the courage to ask for. That’s really important: Ask and take responsibility. Don’t just waiting to be asked because you are good. Just ask for better jobs.” - Mikus
Read Mikus' story here: Anja Mikus, CEO and CIO, KENFO: Ask and You Shall Receive
“We have a 25% by ‘25 initiative, where we’ve pledged to have 25% of our U.S. assets invested in people with color, so we worked to remove the biases from our thinking and evaluation of people and organizations.” - Phillips
Read Phillips' story here: Expanding Opportunity
“The biggest transformation, organization structure-wise has been this move to a one-portfolio, one-team mindset, one-focus, one-team, holistically across the cap structure and not let our own internal dynamics to get in the way. ” - Bhalla
Read Bhalla's story here: Taking risks around the world
“Visibility is so important for enabling diversity and inclusion in all forms. Thank you Institutional Investor and I’m honoured to be a part of this distinguished group of women and hope platforms such as this can offer inspiration and opportunities for the next generations in the investment industry,” – Mathiesen
“When I entered the industry in the late 90s, I was one of the few women on my team at the time, there was no consideration of diversity and women, and now it’s about educating people and figuring out how we can get to a point where diversity is treated as the value-driver that it is.” - Gill New
Read Gill New's story here: Adding Spices to the Recipe
“I would tell women to be willing to learn on the job. If you know 60% of the job, go for it. You’ll be good at learning as much as you are at doing it.” - Murphy
Read Murphy's story here: Molly Murphy, CIO, OCERS: Stepping into the Sunshine
“You just have to choose an organization that sees your value and is valuing you to have both a private life and professional life, and in the long run you will be a better professional person if you also have a private life.” - Blomquist
Read Blomquist's story here: Investing with an Eye to the Upside and Downside
“We like the single-family rental space: We think that people are diversifying a little bit, and as professional investors get involved (it’s sort of been a mom and pop industry), there’s opportunity there.” - Fink
Read Fink's story here: On Wisconsin
“I think it has changed a lot recently, but that unconscious bias and these old values in society are still narrowing the choices for both men and women when they think about careers. Having experienced childbirth and child-rearing, I would say that parenting itself is not a disadvantage for career development. In fact, it can be an opportunity to acquire the skills required for management, such as time management, listening ability, coaching, and maintaining a long-term perspective.” - Zeniya
Read Zeniya's story here: Miyuki Zeniya, Head of Sustainable Finance, The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company Limited
“I believe that women bring a lot of value to an organization. If you add a few women to a team of men, I assure you, you will get a better decision-making process. I believe that diversity produces better outcomes.” - Dalal
Read Dala'sstory here: Sonali Dalal, Deputy Chief Investment Officer, The Pennsylvania State University
