PIMFA HOSTS FIRST IN SERIES OF MASTERCLASSES TO ENCOURAGE YOUNG WOMEN TO CONSIDER A CAREER IN FINANCE

9 November 2020

PIMFA hosts first in series of masterclasses to encourage young women from all backgrounds to consider a career in finance

PIMFA, the trade association for the wealth management and financial advice industry, has held the first in a series of online masterclasses designed to encourage young women and girls from a diverse range of backgrounds to consider a career in financial services.

The masterclass, in partnership with the social mobility charity, The Brokerage, was one of their best attended events with over 130 young women and girls registering to gain an insight into the wealth management and financial advice profession. PIMFA is working in collaboration with The Brokerage as part of its commitment to supporting greater diversity and inclusion across the industry. At present, research from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) shows that diversity has remained consistently low in our industry at approximately 17% and that there is only 20% representation of women on executive committees and 23% on boards.

Those in attendance heard from senior industry leaders including PIMFA chief executive Liz Field, Sarah Soar, chief executive of Hawksmoor Investment Management and Tracey Davidson, deputy chief executive of Handlesbanken UK, who all gave their insights into how the financial advice and wealth management sector had changed since they entered the industry, the highlights of working in the profession along with their advice for the next generation of talent.

Attendees also heard from female mentors including; Portia Wakefield, business analyst and Rebecca Pinchin project manager at Close Brothers; Gemma Farley, data and campaign manager at Openwork; Sandra Dailidyte, senior client manager at Brown Shipley and Lisa Ciccotto, head of HR business partnering and operations at Brooks Macdonald who shared their wealth management and financial advice career stories, how they’ve overcome hurdles and thrived.

Among some of the issues discussed were the misconception that financial services is a male-only profession or the need to be very proficient at maths. They also discussed the need for a greater number of women to enter the profession from a range of backgrounds and future proof the industry with a diverse array of talent.

The event was the first in a series of masterclasses PIMFA will be holding in partnership with The Brokerage over the coming months as part of its ongoing work to improve social mobility and diversity and inclusion, with the aim of educating and inspiring young women to take their first step into the world of wealth management and financial advice.

PIMFA Chief Executive, Liz Field, commented: “As a champion for Diversity and Inclusion in the Wealth Management and Financial Advice profession PIMFA is proud to be working with the social mobility charity, The Brokerage, to support their initiatives and drive change. It is vital we encourage and support more young women into the profession and help them understand the range of careers they can access.

“I am delighted that our first event focusing on women working in the wealth management and financial advice profession was so well attended and would like to thank all those that spoke, as well as The Brokerage for what was a very informative and insightful event and I look forward to our next event.”

Katherina Rudiger, Chief Executive of The Brokerage, said: “We are delighted to partner with PIMFA and to be supporting them in their endeavours towards making the wealth management and financial advice industry more diverse and inclusive. The wealth management and finance advice profession provides an excellent career path for our talented, young people, in particular women, from disadvantaged and BAME backgrounds. Through events and masterclasses like this, we can raise awareness and provide access to opportunities, that our candidates would normally not have, and the success of the event speaks for itself!”

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Notes for Editors

About PIMFA – the Personal Investment Management & Financial Advice Association

· PIMFA is the trade association for firms that provide investment management and financial advice to everyone from individuals and families to charities, pension funds, trusts and companies.

· The sector currently looks after £1.5 trillion in private savings and investments and employs over 55,000 people.

· PIMFA represents both full and associate member firms. Full members provide a range of financial solutions including financial advice, portfolio management, as well as investment and execution services. They assist everyone from individuals and families, to charities and pension funds, all the way to trusts and companies. Associate members provide professional services to the PIMFA community.

· PIMFA leads the debate on policy and regulatory recommendations to ensure that the UK remains a global centre of excellence in the wealth management, investment advice and financial planning arena. Our mission is to create an optimal operating environment so that its member firms can focus on delivering the best service to clients, providing responsible stewardship for their long-term savings and investments.

· PIMFA was created in 2017 as the outcome of a merger between the Association of Professional Financial Advisers (APFA) and the Wealth Management Association (WMA) with a history as a trade association since 1991 – read more.

· Further information can be found at www.pimfa.co.uk

Contact

For further information on this release or other press matters please contact:

· Matthew West, PIMFA PR Manager – MatthewW@pimfa.co.uk, +44 (0)20 7382 0376 / +44 (0) 7843 903258
· Sheena Gillett, PIMFA Communications & PR Director – sheenag@pimfa.co.uk, +44 (0)20 7011 9869 / +44 (0)7979 493225