London Stock Exchange Group welcomes Women in Securities Finance

By London Stock Exchange

Women in Securities Finance is an independent, voluntary industry networking group that originated 5 years ago with the mission to create a community of professionals to foster connections and promote the advancement of women in our market. The network now operates globally across 5 different locations, with a current membership in excess of 1000 and is inclusive to all – so all levels of experience and functions in the securities finance value chain, as well as all genders.

The group has essentially set out to empower and encourage women in our industry, by providing a sense of community that didn’t exist previously, given the relatively small numbers of females in each organization, with no platform to connect them externally. The group aims to fuel ambition and drive growth, by creating a spirit of sharing and collaboration on best practice and professional goals.

Through the platform, our aim through various methods, is to help members address the 3 E’s: education, elevation and empowerment, which combined will drive the deeper change required to foster a more diverse and inclusive industry. Since inception, Women in Securities Finance has led a programme of events ranging from:

• speaker sessions on crucial technical skills development to support women to advance through the pipeline from entry level to senior positions.

• a series of podcasts ‘Perspectives’ , where we’ve been able to engender a broader sense of sharing within the network, by engaging members to speak about their roles and career journeys, to provide insights on the many different functions and pathways in this industry.

• as part of our increasing focus on developing a sustainable future talent pool, in London we’ve launched ‘Grow Your Network’, an initiative aimed at connecting members through a series of one-to-one connections across different backgrounds and experience, truly tapping into the diversity of the network (over 400 new connections created)

• using the platform to drive positive structural change in the market, Women in Securities Finance has had the opportunity to collaborate with the Bank of England to embed DEI best practice into the Securities Finance industry, through the introduction of DEI as a new theme in the UK Money Markets Code.

Finally, it was a great endorsement to win the ‘Best DEI Initiative’ at the Securities Finance Times Industry awards in June 2022, as an acknowledgement that Women in Securities Finance is changing the conversation in our marketplace around DEI and having a real world impact on the careers of many women, as they increase their visibility and advance to more senior roles across many organizations.

Testimonials from some of our members include:

“The Women in Securities Finance organization had the awareness, courage, and foresight to highlight a systemic industry gender gap and then the focus, determination and energy to drive action to address the issues. Once a small handful of women standing in a crowded ballroom of a few hundred men, the now WISF global network provides their membership an opportunity to share experiences and instil in each other the confidence, mindset, capabilities, and support system to achieve greater outcomes for each individual and the group.”

“The group has provided a necessary platform for women and allies in securities finance, to connect and support one another. It has positively impacted me by providing opportunities through mentorship, speaking engagements and networking.”

“The network is creating a community within securities finance that is welcoming to all current industry employees but just as important is creating a venue to help bring in new talented women to it, giving a sense of belonging and support that has long been absent.”

We are grateful for all the active engagement and support we have experienced since the group first launched and we thank organisations, like LCH/Repoclear, for providing the platform to encourage more representation, discussion and solutions on these important topics.