In another sign of rising momentum for the effort to improve corporate diversity at financial services firms, the first women’s organization for the ETF industry is working to enhance the contributions and visibility of women in business..
On July 31, the Women in ETFs, or WE, organization announced the appointment of its Board of Directors and leadership team, with co-presidents Joanne Hill of ProShares Advisors and Sue Thompson of BlackRock, vice president Linda Zhang of Windhaven Investment Management, external organization liaison Deborah Fuhr of ETFGI and Secretary Michelle Mikos of Invesco PowerShares, according to a press release.
“Women in ETFs was founded earlier this year by Sue Thompson, Joanne Hill, Michelle Mikos, Linda Zhang, and myself to create opportunities for professional advancement by connecting women in the ETF industry and offering guidance. Provide forums for education and idea sharing across the industry,” Deborah Fuhr, Managing Partner at ETFGI, said in an email.
The organization brings together women in the ETF industry from the U.S., Canada and Europe to connect, support and inspire the next generation of women in ETFs.
“The ETF industry is growing, but it has a lot of moving parts and layers,” Joanne Hill, ProShares Head of Institutional Investment Strategy, said in the press release. “Our goal is to make sure women in the ETF industry maximize their opportunities to learn and grow with the help of their peers.”
“Interest from women in the industry has been very strong in taking leadership roles in the national organization and to establish regional chapters in Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington DC, Toronto, London and Frankfurt,” Sue Thompson, Head of BlackRock’s Asset Manager and RIA Channels, said in the statement.