Gender diversity a priority for fund managers

The 2022 Financial Services Council (FSC) Diversity Survey found 20 of its global and domestic fund manager members want to improve diversity in investment teams.

Most of those surveyed (95 per cent) are tracking gender diversity statistics within their organisation and investment management teams. 

The survey also found: 

• That 68 per cent of fund managers have set diversity targets for the business across a range of areas, such as having an inclusive environment and using a range of measurements and targets to monitor this;. 
• That 45 per cent of fund managers set formal diversity targets within investment management teams, and 78 per cent reported making progress against their target;
• Organisations are focusing on a range of areas to drive change. Focus areas include: 
  • refreshing Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) policies;
  • focusing on the development of talent;
  • increasing graduate pools;
  • setting targets;
  • development and retention of staff;
  • introducing accountability at all levels; and 
  • having teams monitor progress in gender diversity and setting targets. 

Last year, FSC launched its FSC Women in Investment Management Charter (WIM Charter) to provide members with a practical framework to support greater gender balance in investment management roles. The WIM Charter introduces accountability and transparency mechanisms to enable organisations to achieve their desired, self-nominated gender diversity target within their investment management teams.