Portfolio Adviser: Let’s inspire inclusion

Increased scrutiny of diversity claims from asset managers, women-only events and broad-based diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives could mean the asset and wealth management industry is ready to move to ‘the next stage’ of harnessing gender equity, according to several senior investment professionals and diversity advocates.

It is undisputed that gender diversity across the industry has improved over the decades, and has continued to follow this trajectory – for the most part – during the past few years. However, when looking at the data alone, that progress seems to be slowing.

Bev Shah, founder and CEO of City Hive, says: “There has been an increase overall in micro-initia- tives, some of them good and some less impactful. The increased attention that has been given to topics should be welcomed, but needs both guide rails and responsibility to make sure this energy is poured into meaningful actions. Simply putting a name to some-thing or stating platitudes can give the impression progress is being made when nothing underlying is really changing.”