The Financial Times' CFO Dialogues took place in London on November 8. Kjerstin Braathen, then CFO, now CEO of DNB contributed to the panel debate, and Turid E. Solvang and Alexandra Morris, Chief Investment Officer at SKAGEN Funds co-chaired the work group on 'Gender balance: overcoming the barriers in the financial sector'. Please find the extensive summary of the debate, written by Lauren Juliff, Head of UK Institutional, SKAGEN Funds.
In the report, Ms Juliff concludes that “In any corporate environment, the team is much greater than the individual. Those that have better gender balance offer more cognitive diversity, which can lead to improved risk management and decision-making.
Given the overwhelming number of barriers women face in financial services, we can’t help but wonder, are we asking the wrong questions? What are the skills required to lead successful businesses in the future? Yes, we have to hire qualified people on merit and not on the basis of gender but are those currently in senior management positions there on merit, or as a result of hundreds of years of unconscious bias, privilege or because they were hired in the image of their predecessors?
In the current management teams of financial services companies, do we need more people with the same skills, or do we need something a little different, more progressive and, if so, are we looking in the right places, if at all?”
We will continue the debate at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in London.
Confirmed speakers:
His Excellency Wegger Chr. Strømmen, Norway’s Ambassador to UK
Amra Balic, Managing Director; EMEA Head of BlackRock Investment Stewardship
Carine Smith Ihenacho, Chief Corporate Governance Officer, Norges Bank Investment Management
Tove Selnes, Chief Human Resources Officer, Storebrand ASA
Mari Teigen, Research professor, Director CORE – Centre for Research on Gender Equality
Opening adress by Turid E. Solvang, founder and CEO of FutureBoards AS
Debate moderated by Dina Medland, independent writer
Relevant insight:
BoardTalk by Dina Medland - FTSE 350 Laggards Resist Trend Of Rising Gender Diversity In UK Boardrooms
The connection between gender diversity and corporate performance - Investing in Gender Equality
The event is supported by ABG Sunndal Collier - Women in Finance Foundation and Storebrand ASA
