Overview & Contact

Events

Steering Committee

Overview & Contact

An international network for women in capital markets

The ICMA Women’s Network (IWN) provides a global, impartial and open forum to encourage, support and inspire women at all stages of their career and to further the aim of gender equality within the bond markets.

Through a combination of live events and online content, the IWN delivers practical workshops focused on skills for career progression and hosts discussions on relevant issues between influential industry stakeholders. Networking is central to the offering, supporting links between colleagues of different generations and levels of seniority, helping to foster inclusion throughout the industry.

The IWN supports gender equality at a global level: all employees of ICMA member firms are welcome to join, and international connectivity is achieved through active IWN committees operating worldwide. The IWN also actively welcomes participation from all genders and ethnicities, acknowledging that broad participation is essential in achieving positive, sustainable change.

IWN news

View the latest edition of the IWN newsletter

ICMA Women's Network Q&A

Highlighting the profiles of ICMA industry leaders

Gareth Allen

ICMA Board member and Managing Director, Global Head Investment and Execution, Head of Repo Trading - Group Treasury, UBS, Gareth Allen, answered our questions about gender equality in the workplace.

IWN: What do you consider the greatest enabler for gender equality?

GA: I believe that active outreach to improve the gender balance of the hiring pool is a key first step to addressing a firm’s gender imbalance. To retain that balance, it’s key to foster a culture that supports women throughout their career, and ensures everyone in the team has the same opportunities to grow and develop.

IWN: Could you provide an example of how you’ve actively made efforts to address gender inequality at your firm?

GA: Within my team, we’ve made huge progress in gender representation by making extra efforts to encourage women to apply for open roles. With more highly qualified women in the pipeline, you have much better odds of finding the candidate with the best skills and experience and a better chance to address gender imbalance. We started 2021 with 14% women in the global trading team; we’re on track to end 2024 with more than 37%. 29% will be in our senior ranks.

IWN: What is your biggest passion outside of work, and why?

GA: I’ve always been drawn to the great outdoors and adventure. I love to hike, rock climb and camp because I enjoy the peace and beauty of the natural world – it allows me to unplug and recharge from the fast-paced and sometimes stressful capital markets environment.

IWN: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

GA: Don’t just be a passenger in your own career – be the driver… but be very thoughtful about what you want the destination to be.

IWN: What do you see as the main challenges for women in the period ahead?

GA: I think the challenges ahead are very similar to the challenges many women in business can face today… inflexible working practices or teams, stigmas associated with having a family and/or work-life balance, and potentially even active discrimination for promotions or opportunities. I try my best, very consciously, to ensure that everyone on my team has opportunities to grow their skills, have the flexibility they need to thrive, and ultimately, the chance to build a career that works for them.

Event spotlight

Highlighting events from the IWN’s vast archive

Sustainability: the perspective of influential women in the rapidly growing ESG market
This event held at HSBC in 2018 assembled a number of senior influential women in sustainable finance, those who provide thought leadership and are at the centre of innovation. They explored the impact of green bonds, social bonds, sustainable bonds and other innovative financing solutions on the finance industry and the workplace as a whole, as well as by reference to their own career paths.

The Women in Finance Charter

ICMA’s commitment to gender balance

Monday Motivation

Join IWN on LinkedIn to follow the Monday Motivation series

Get in touch

	Join our mailing list		E-mail us at ICMAWomensNetwork@icmagroup.org
	Follow the ICMA Women's Network LinkedIn page		Follow ICMA Women's Network@ICMAWomensNet

Events

Upcoming events

A conversation with champions of diversity on empowering change and advancing gender equality

Date: 3 December 2024
Time: 17:00– 19:15 pm HKT
Venue: Davis Polk, 10/F, The Hong Kong Club Building, 3A Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong

Hosted by:

Overview

Please join the ICMA Women’s Network (IWN) for an inspiring fireside chat with male and female champions of diversity and gender equality. This event will explore the intersectionality of personal life, building resilient and successful careers, and advancing women's representation in leadership roles. Through insights drawn from their own journeys and by reference to their unique challenges and opportunities, our panellists will explore essential topics and key strategies that connect individual and career growth with broader change in the industry. Discussions will cover essential topics like career longevity, work/life balance, navigating transitions, making successful pivots, leveraging transferable skills to future-proof your career and taking calculated risks—all aimed at empowering change to drive both personal success and collective progress toward gender equality in finance.

Please note that this is a closed-door event and no press are permitted.

If you have any questions, please contact ICMA events.

Past events

Sinergie di leadership: stili a confronto e inclusività

In the fast-paced and ever evolving world of finance, effective leadership is key to driving success. This event explored how blending these diverse styles can unlock significant value for organizations.

The power of integrating leadership styles. Company leaders face a wide array of challenges, from navigating economic uncertainty to managing teams and driving innovation. The panel brought together accomplished managers from diverse backgrounds who explored these challenges and shared their personal journeys.

Unlocking the power of networking - a masterclass with Jean Evans

Networking is more than just a skill; it's a journey of continuous learning and growth. The ICMA Women’s Network hosted an enlightening feature presentation by Jean Evans, where she dispelled common myths about networking and guided attendees in reshaping our perspectives. Jean shared valuable insights on how to build and leverage networks effectively, ensuring they are robust and ready to support us in both personal and professional contexts.

Following the presentation, Jean led a practical masterclass, encouraging attendees to apply her strategies and tips in real-time. Attendees had the opportunity to enhance their networking prowess and build connections that truly matte

Prioritising and maintaining optimal mental health in the workplace

The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day (on 10 October) is “it’s time to prioritise mental health in the workplace”. To thrive both professionally and personally, we must prioritise protecting our own well-being, though we all know how challenging this can be. Safeguarding employees’ mental health in the workplace is crucial, as it directly affects productivity, attendance and overall performance. The WHO estimates the economic cost of untreated mental illness at US$1 trillion annually. Moreover, caring for ourselves and our colleagues is the morally right thing to do.

In this ICMA Women’s Network (IWN) event, Richard Martin, CEO of the Mindful Business Charter, drew from his own experience to explore how to identify and manage our triggers and prioritise our mental health on a personal level. He also explained how the Mindful Business Charter supports firms at an organisational level to build best practices and remove unnecessary sources of stress to promote better mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. Finally, Rachael Forsberg of byrne·dean workplace consultants shared strategies for seamlessly integrating essential practices for better sleep, diet, mood regulation and more into our daily routines, even amidst a whirlwind of other priorities.

AI and Tech innovation in capital markets, an opportunity for female leadership

''The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.”
Winston Churchill

The ICMA Women’s Network (IWN) France hosted a discussion of the role of women in technological innovation, specifically innovations linked to financial markets. The representation of women within this ecosystem remains marginal. However, since the future of technologies should not be the one of inequalities, we proposed to various stakeholders to discuss the impacts of innovation on gender equality: Why are so few women represented in jobs with strong innovative or technological component? How can we make these areas an asset for gender equality?

Valérie FASQUELLE, Deputy General Director of the Information System (DGIS) and Sponsor for Innovation at Banque de France presented the Innovation Lab of Banque de France that was granted the label "Gender Equality European & International Standard AI" in 2023.

The keynote was followed by a panel discussion featuring panellists who are working in new technologies, innovation and digital. Theyshared their personal experience.

The conference concluded with a keynote from Hélène DECKX VAN RUYS, Co-pilot of the “Women and AI” working group at the French Laboratoire de l’égalité, who spoke about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on equality between women and men.

Advancing gender equality: The role of the Women in Finance Charter and of the Luxembourg financial community

Although Luxembourg has the lowest gender pay gap in the EU, gender balance and inclusivity remain lacking across the financial services sector. The Luxembourg Women in Finance Charter, launched on 8 March 2023, aims to address this by committing signatories to promote the progression of women at all levels, including senior and board levels, by reference to a series of metrics.

At this ICMA Women’s Network Luxembourg event, we took stock of the Charter’s progress after its first 18 months, assessing what practical steps firms are taking to implement the Charter, and reflecting on what remains to be done. We also considered whether the ambitions of the Charter can help to address an increasing need for talent in the sector.

A fireside chat was conducted with Eila Kreivi, in which she and Katie Kelly discussed the role of leadership, mentorship and allyship, as well as the need for a supportive infrastructure and other enablers for career progression and gender equality more generally.

A second panel discussed the integration of ESG considerations, including social content and gender finance, for private equity and venture capital firms, as well as whether and how these firms can take the lead in advancing diversity and gender equality.

ICMA Women’s Network (IWN) and ICMA Future Leaders (IFL) Webinar: Get board ready - your NED portfolio career

This one hour masterclass was delivered by Victoria McLean, CEO of City CV and Director at the Hanover Group, a career industry expert, award-winning Board CV writer and coach.

Victoria explained why playing an active role in the success of another organisation can be hugely beneficial to your executive career, and how positive gains can be made from helping to steer an organisation in the right direction and become profitable, perform to an optimum level and have a strategic plan for the future.

She gave in-depth perspectives on what an NED role involves, its challenges and benefits, and shared tips and strategies on how to build your brand and CV in order to position yourself for a NED post.

Female leadership: a duty to support upcoming generations

This IWN Belgium event was held at the Royal Museums of Art & History just before the Welcome Reception of the 56th ICMA AGM & Conference. Senior female leaders led an interactive discussion on how best to harness their influence as role models to halt the decline of female representation at all levels; from encouraging a culture which supports female advancement, visibility and return to work at various stages, to maintaining momentum in an environment which can be inherently unsupportive and prone to unconscious bias. Audience members were encouraged to contribute their own thoughts, experiences and suggestions in this collaborative session.

Leadership, career progression and gender equality through a sustainable finance lens

ICMA Women's Network was in Copenhagen where our speakers from the sustainable finance industry shared experiences and best practices to help encourage leadership, career progression and to create a long-lasting, meaningful culture of gender equality.

Keynote speaker Lisa Ekstrand, VP Sustainability at Vestas and one of Time100's 2023 Climate Leaders, referenced her own lived experiences sharing insights into her leadership journey, and describe how she retained prominence in the sustainable finance industry.

The keynote was followed by a panel discussion on the opportunities presented by the ESG agenda for career progression and gender equality, with industry experts discussing these developments through the lens of their firms' sustainability agendas.

The event concluded with a fireside chat to discuss the importance of creating a lasting, meaningful culture that aligns with a firm’s vision, purpose and goals, and how to manage difficult situations within it.

Connecting to inspire

The ICMA Women's Network was established to further positive transformation by offering a platform for women from diverse backgrounds and professions – banking, technology, legal and education - to impart their experiences, wisdom, and insights to support and inspire the upcoming generation. This event which took place in Madridhosted by IE, established a lasting network to help foster connections and to create a supportive community where women can continue to exchange ideas, mentor, learn and be encouraged.

What does the future of work in finance look like?

At this joint event of the IWN and IFL, the potential future of work was explored. As we are on the cusp of a potentially seismic change in the way we work, with competing forces such as AI and technology accelerating at an unprecedented rate, a keynote delivered by Nicki Wakefield of PwC explained how we can keep pace with these influences and future-proof our own career prospects. Then, a panel of expert speakers considered the importance of making educated decisions for our careers while maintaining flexibility, and the benefits of undergoing supplementary education and learning additional skills.

ICMA Women's Network: Turning the tables

At this event, the younger, upcoming generation asked questions of a panel of more seasoned professionals from the investment banking and corporate industry. Taking account of the younger generations’ concerns and real life testimonials, moderator Annalisa Monfreda encouraged the panelists to respond candidly by reference to their lived experiences, gained over the years in financial services. The event also featured a session by Francesca Tumiati, who introduced the potential of astrology in our lives, both to help guide career choices and to help navigate the more challenging aspects of our professional lives.

ICMA Women's Network: Moving the goalposts

In this event, a panel featuring relevant professionals considered how the financial services and sporting worlds collide. By reference to their own lived experiences, they assessed the similarities between sustaining a successful career in each, including how to train and motivate women to remain in their chosen field, and how to retain women who are at the top of their game. The panellists reflected on the skills required for both, such as self-belief, preparation, resilience, determination, and sheer hard work, and offered advice to the audience on how to enhance their performance at work.

Réussir sa carrière dans un environnement masculin : celles qui ont osé !

The capital markets have a reputation of being predominantly male; nonetheless, many women have had brilliant careers in the financial, banking and economic sectors, and the “glass ceiling” was no impediment to their skills and qualities. This event in Paris in 2023, hosted by Oddo and supported by Euronext, comprised a panel of just such women, discussing their motivations, the challenges they had to overcome and how they managed to achieve their success. They shared their experiences of facing both resistance and support in the context of their professional careers, and tips on managing the balance between very demanding jobs and the ups and downs of family life.

Security, sustainability and inclusive recovery

Hosted by Nordic Investment Bank in Hesinki in June 2023, this event saw experts discussing the nexus between security, sustainability and the rebuilding of war-torn countries.

Hanna Smith, Senior Strategic Advisor to the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, delivered a keynote on the current security environment in Europe. Following this, our panel of industry and market experts discussed how sustainable finance is keeping pace amid turbulent financial and geopolitical climates. To conclude, Antti Kuronen, foreign news correspondent at the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle, discussed the situation in Ukraine, and the challenge of rebuilding through the lens of the economy, infrastructure and human capital.

The Generation Game

This event, hosted by Ashurst in London in 2023, comprised a keynote presentation from Victoria McLean of City CV, on practical solutions for the five biggest challenges that all generations face in their careers, from imposter syndrome to personal branding and beyond. Following this keynote, industry speakers considered how the workplace has changed over the generations, by reference to lived experiences of women and men. They discussed whether enough progress has been made in terms of workplace gender equality and specifically, how to ensure there are more women on boards, and how to smash gender and cultural taboos, such as menopause and menstruation. The panel also highlighted the importance of ensuring that younger generations – including our sons and daughters – are aligning with the gender equality agenda.

Challenges for the future: value proposition for attracting diversity and young talent in the financial and technological sector

This 2023 event, hosted by Insituto de Crédito Oficial in Madrid, featured speakers from the financial and technology industries (including Google, Eniax, eBay, BBVA and Santander) discussing the role of diversity in establishing best practice and value for the future of those industries.

Diversity and inclusion in a multi-cultural environment

Financial markets have ever been multicultural, multilingual and intergenerational, but our professional interactions have multiplied the opportunities to be confronted with practices whose social acceptability could differ. In this event hosted by Moody’s in Paris in 2022, the panel addressed how misunderstandings can arise when what may be considered appropriate behaviour for one culture is inappropriate for another, leading to misinterpretation, misunderstanding or even unintentional insult.

Speaker Spotlight: An audience with Clare Cole

Clare Cole of the UK FCA gave a powerful keynote at Allen & Overy in 2022 on the FCA’s efforts on diversity & inclusion, with a strong focus on neurodiversity, social mobility and educational diversity, including by reference to her own career experiences.

Tackling obstacles in women’s careers

This French webinar in 2021 focused on the role of the spouse in women's careers; reconciling motherhood and career progression and ensuring a salary equivalent to men for identical responsibilities. Tips and tricks to help women who want to climb the corporate ladder were shared in a roundtable which also discussed whether companies have developed a real inclusion strategy, and the effects of the health crisis and remote working.

Speaker Spotlight: Connecting the generations - a conversation with Allegra Berman

A virtual inter-generational conversation in 2021 exploring how the challenges facing women in finance have changed over time, citing shifts in culture and expectations, the importance of adaptability and resilience, and what the future may hold as the different generations weather the storm together and prepare for what’s next.

Gender Lens Investing: A fresh perspective

At this event, hosted by White & Case in 2019, speakers from the asset management and investment industry gave their insights on a panel into how the diversity agenda is impacting investment strategy and business practices. They addressed how altering investor behaviour has the potential to effect meaningful change in the financial markets and discussed how this can drive forward diversity and inclusion in the economy.

Mental health in the city

This fireside chat hosted by Freshfields in 2019 focused on mental health in the challenging environment of financial markets, discussing the stigma which still exists around mental health in city workplaces, explaining the resources and support that are available and how to maintain mental wellbeing.

Sustainability: the perspective of influential women in the rapidly growing ESG market

This event held at HSBC in 2018 assembled a number of senior influential women in sustainable finance, those who provide thought leadership and are at the centre of innovation. They explored the impact of green bonds, social bonds, sustainable bonds and other innovative financing solutions on the finance industry and the workplace as a whole, as well as by reference to their own career paths.

Embracing change: future proofing your career with Fintech

Allen & Overy hosted this event in 2018. It set out to illuminate the world of FinTech, with a panel of female FinTech experts addressing questions such as: what does FinTech actually mean for the way debt capital markets will function in future? And what do we need to do now to position ourselves for career advantage in this exciting new environment? What are the barriers to entry to a FinTech-based career for women? Can we repurpose skills that we already have to be part of the revolution?

Challenging perceptions: Unconscious bias – how it affects networking & career progression

This event which took place at UniCredit in 2017 took a practical look at how unconscious bias may be subtly influencing our ability to make and maintain the contacts that we need to help us progress in our careers. Unconscious bias training has become a standard feature of workplace diversity programmes, but outside the formal office environment, is our tendency to make snap judgements based on stereotypes affecting the way we network?

Getting noticed – a masterclass in using social media to build your personal brand

Howard Kingston shared his expertise at this event hosted by EBRD in 2017 on social media, explaining the importance of building a truly representative personal brand, raising personal profile and increasing visibility among colleagues, peers and across the industry. Howard demonstrated how to navigate the world of professional social media to maximum effect, imparting practical tips to get started and equipping the audience with the tools to effectively build a personal brand by way of social networking, LinkedIn, blogging and creating content.

Negotiation skills for women

Negotiation is a tool which we all use every day, without even realising it. In this negotiation workshop held in Paris in 2017, Vincent François, former crisis and hostage negotiator, explained negotiation techniques to ensure we don’t become destabilised at the first step.

Bouncing back – developing resilience at work

Resilience is often cited as the key attribute of successful businesspeople, and it has never been more important than in the current market environment. At this event, held in the Barbican in 2016, professional resilience coach, psychologist and author Jane Clarke explained the importance of resilience in a professional context, how it can help one to handle difficult situations and setbacks and, most importantly, how to develop resilience.

Speaker Spotlight: Julia Hoggett

Drawing on her own experiences working in a number of high-profile roles in both the private and public sector, Julia Hoggett (CEO of the London Stock Exchange and former Head of Wholesale Banking, Supervision Division, FCA), shared her views at Nomura in 2016 on the visibility and role of women in financial services, the importance of recognising the contribution made by women and how firms can develop a culture in which women can succeed and fulfil their potential.

Impact coaching

This event, hosted by Barclays in 2015, focused on practical tips for getting yourself and your ideas noticed at work and for making a positive impact when interacting with colleagues and clients, all in the context of career development in capital markets. A panel discussion with senior industry figures drawing on their own experiences and successful strategies was followed by an interactive session with Impact Coach Esther Stanhope. Esther demonstrated how to ooze confidence and upgrade our communication skills, sharing practical tips on how to craft content for the right audience and use body language, eye contact, gestures, vocal emphasis effectively.

The current composition of the ICMA Women's Network Steering Committee is as follows:

	Asia-Pacific Desirée Sumilang Crédit Agricole		MENA Nadia Zubairi Bank ABC
	Belgium Magali Moonen Bank Degroof Petercam SA/NV		Nordic Angela Brusas Nordic Investment Bank and chair of the ICMA Women’s Network
	France Caroline Derocle Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V.		South Africa Mosidi Vilakazi South African Reserve Bank
	Germany Cristina Freudenberger Clifford Chance		Spain Susana de Pablo Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A.
	Ireland Sinead O'Connor A&L Goodbody		Switzerland Representative TBC
	Italy Nicole Della Vedova Snam S.p.A.		UK Jennifer Cresswell A&O Shearman
	Luxembourg Isa Ribeiro Clearstream Banking SA		West Africa Sunmbo Olatunji Access Bank