Women in ETFs raises awareness through bell-ringing events

Women in ETFs (WE), an international women’s non-profit for the ETF industry, is celebrating its Third Annual Global Bell Ringing Events for International Women’s Day.

The theme this year is “Women at Work,” which includes raising awareness about the business case women’s economic empowerment and opportunities to advance gender equality and sustainable development in the private sector. To promote this cause, WE is hosting events across the globe between March 2 and 10. Representatives of the group will “ring the bell for gender equality” at over 40 stock exchanges globally, with WE leading events at 17 exchanges in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

In Canada, WE held events at two Canadian exchanges: the NEO Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange. The NEO event featured a bell-ringing ceremony, as well as a panel discussion on empowering women moderated by NEO President and CEO Jos Schmitt. Among the panelists were Som Seif, founder and CEO of Purpose Investments; Deborah Frame of WE; Carrie Kirkman, chairman of the board at G(irls)20; and Mariefaye Bechrakis, Human Rights and Gender Equality Consultant, UN Global Compact.

At the TSX, representatives from the UN Global Compact, the Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) Initiative, UN Women, the International Finance Corporation, and the World Federation of Exchanges joined members of WE. Speaking at the event were Tanya Rowntree, co-head of WE’s Canadian chapter; Alinal Polonskaia, principal and leader of diversity and inclusion at Mercer; and Catherine Reitman, writer and star of CBC sitcom Workin’ Moms.

This is the third year that WE has partnered with UN Global Compact, UN Women, the SSE Initiative, IFC, and the World Federation of Stock Exchanges.