Black Women in Asset Management (BWAM), a non-profit organisation promoting the advancement of Black women working in the asset management industry, has announced Ares Management, BlackRock, Federated Hermes, Helios Investment Partners, JP Morgan Asset Management, M&G plc, Maniyar Capital, Morningstar, Inc, and State Street Global Advisors as new institutional members.
Black women remain vastly underrepresented at all levels within the investment industry. A 2019 report by the Investment Association showed that less than 1 per cent of investment managers in the UK are Black. BWAM aims to drive positive change by providing Black women with tools needed to thrive, while also encouraging firms to create more inclusive environments. Formed in 2019, the organisation has quickly become a valuable community for investment professionals, lawyers, consultants, administrators, and other advisors in the asset management field. To date, BWAM has over 700 members.
Institutional membership in BWAM provides firms with a number of benefits to enhance their diversity strategies, including access to exclusive roundtables that offer fresh insight on how to recruit, retain and advance Black women in their organisations. These roundtables are facilitated by diversity, equity and inclusion experts and explore important topics such as psychological safety, allyship and inclusive leadership.
