“Fewer than 20% of women occupy senior management roles in Fortune 500 companies and even fewer act as CEOs,” Sue Thompson, WE’s Co-President and Founder and Senior Advisor to BlackRock, said. “These bell ringing ceremonies symbolize the increasing importance of women’s participation in the capital markets, generally and in the exchange traded fund industry, specifically.”
Greater women participation can also help enhance businesses in a highly competitive environment. A recent study has found that organizations with greater gender diversity in leadership roles show better financial performance, according to Development Dimensions International. Specifically, DDI found that among leaders in the top 20% organizations, about 37% of all leaders are women, whereas the bottom 20% organizations show 19% of all leaders are women. [Women in ETFs Inspire the Next Generation of Leaders]
“Research shows that women’s presence in leadership, including in management of publicly traded companies, is often linked to stronger management of environmental, social and governance-related risks,” Joanne Hill, WE’s Co-President and Founder, and ProShares Head of Institutional Investment Strategy, said.
Additionally, according to MSCI research, boards with greater gender diversity had fewer instances of governance-related scandals such as bribery, corruption, fraud, and shareholder battles.
For more information on the ETF industry group, visit the Women in ETFs website.