<i>InvestmentNews</i> launches Women to Watch list; nominations being accepted

It’s no secret that women are a minority in the financial services industry, especially in leadership positions.

For the past six-plus years, InvestmentNews has been making a concerted effort to bring attention to the lack of female representation in the financial advice business, through our news coverage, webcasts, videos and live events. Our goal in all these initiatives is to create change, facilitate dialogue and move the needle toward the advancement of women.

At InvestmentNews, we believe another thing we can do to help this cause is draw attention to women who are shining examples for others.

With that said, we are proud to announce the InvestmentNews Women to Watch list.

Our mission in launching this initiative is to honor female advisers and industry executives for what they are doing to elevate the financial advice industry. We plan to select about 20 women who are distinguished leaders at their firms and whose work has made a lasting impact on the industry. We also are looking for women who have demonstrated a willingness to share their experiences with other women, who have given back to the industry and who represent role models for young women entering this profession.

NOMINATE A CANDIDATE NOW

InvestmentNews is accepting nominations for this annual program from all areas of the advice industry. If you are, or know of, a woman who is deserving of this honor, I encourage you to fill out a nomination form at InvestmentNews.com/W2W. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 7.

This initiative is not about assets under management. It is not about titles or compensation. Instead, it is meant to recognize women who are distinguished leaders, who are driven, who are innovators and who are willing to share their knowledge and experiences with other women.

We expect to receive hundreds of nominations and will have the difficult task of selecting just 20 for this honor. In November, InvestmentNews will devote an entire issue to these women and to other stories highlighting relevant issues surrounding women in financial services. The initiative will culminate with an awards ceremony and leadership summit in March.

Women to Watch is the latest in a series of initiatives that are focused on women by InvestmentNews. Last year, at the urging of many of our female readers, we held the first of our Women Adviser Summits, a one-day workshop at which hundreds of female advisers gather to share their secrets for building their practices and network with other successful female advisers and industry leaders.

We hope that Women to Watch will be equally impactful and we are truly excited to recognize and reward women in our industry for what they have done and are doing. We look forward to sharing their stories and hope they will inspire and encourage women for years to come.