As noted in one of my recent letters, CFA Society Toronto is working diligently with our many stakeholders, particularly employers, to collectively encourage more women to pursue their CFA designation and, more broadly, to champion the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within our industry. While good progress has been achieved, much remains to be done.

You do not need to be a CFA charterholder to see the trend of fewer women and more men among candidates within our Society’s geographic footprint who are progressing through the levels of the CFA Program and, ultimately, to our membership base.

Figure 1

So, how do we collectively solve this issue?

While there is no easy, short-term fix, building awareness of the issue and then targeting initiatives that promote gender parity in our industry are critical goals. In January 2024, in partnership with CIBC Global Asset Management, CFA Society Toronto hosted an event targeting female university students from GTA-based colleges and universities to hear from industry leaders about their career journeys, including the highs and the lows. We were fortunate to host Marg Franklin, President and CEO of CFA Institute, who shared her own story of being a young woman getting into and ultimately succeeding at the highest level in managing a global organization. Seeing many women from diverse and underrepresented communities in our industry pepper the leaders with questions in the informal Q&A that followed the session was incredibly gratifying.

This month, to celebrate International Women’s Day, we are partnering with Rock the Street, Wall Street (RTSWS) to host an informational webinar for our members on RTSWS’s financial and investment literacy program designed to bring both gender and racial equity to the financial markets and spark the interest of high school girls in finance careers. 

On March 7 we are hosting our 3rd Annual Women in Finance Conference with a theme of Bridges to Boldness: Building Success through Allyship and Leadership. The purpose is to engage men and  women in the conversation about building an inclusive industry.

CFA Society Toronto is calling on all our employers, large and small, to work collaboratively with us on addressing the critical issue of gender parity and success in finance. 

While efforts are underway, we have room for improvement to ensure our industry reflects the many layers of diversity of our country.