"An ETF veteran explains how she is trying to close the gender gap in asset management", published on Business Insider by Kiki O'Keeffe, Makovsky & Company, August 2, 2018.
Click the title for the link to the full interview. Here are a few highlights.
On challenges facing women, especially young women:
The root gender issue our industry faces is that women are often not being heard by colleagues and leadership in the industry. It's even worse for young women. Women's interest, drive and talent are all there. Unfortunately, we're still facing a culture that neither pays nor promotes women at the rates on par with men.
On taking actions to address the gender gap:
We are currently launching the WE (Women in ETFs) Speaker's Bureau aimed at addressing the conference panel gender gap. Thus far, we've received strong support from Inside ETFs, Morningstar and IMN. Our goal is to raise the number of women panelists to 25 percent in the next 18 months from its current levels in the mid-teens.
On niche ETF products:
The success of any niche product will depend on its sound long-term investment thesis, not a fad. Investor education is the key: they need to know how to fit these products into an otherwise bland portfolio and how to avoid misusing them.
On ESG investing:
We think it's time to expand modern finance theory. For too long, investors have considered only two dimensions of investment, return and risk. It's time to add the positive ESG impact as the third pillar of modern finance - return, risk and impact.
On industry trend:
I think that mutual fund firms have a precious opportunity to become some of the best active ETF providers, because they already have some of the best investment talent. They just need to be comfortable with the fact that ETFs are the product structure of the future.