Black Women in Asset Management (BWAM), a non-profit organisation promoting the advancement of Black women working in the asset management industry, is delighted to announce Ares Management, BlackRock, Federated Hermes, Helios Investment Partners, J.P. 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% 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.
BWAM Chair and Co-Founder, Jacqueline Taiwo, stated: "Our new institutional members represent over USD 17 trillion of AUM in the global asset management industry. We are thrilled to be able to partner with a wide cohort of investment firms to advance BWAM's mission to connect and empower Black women working across the investment ecosystem. Their support will accelerate BWAM's impact in 2022, allowing the organisation to bring in new resources, and offer more career development, networking and visibility opportunities for Black women in asset management. We also look forward to expanding our existing outreach initiatives to encourage more young Black women to pursue careers in investment."
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.
Indhira Arrington, Managing Director and Global Chief Diversity, Equity Inclusion Officer at Ares Management stated: "Ares is committed to building meaningful relationships with partners who focus on advancing Diversity, Equity Inclusion in our industry and communities, and we are very excited to work with Black Women in Asset Management to help drive systemic change in our industry. We look forward to furthering the mission of ensuring Black women have access to the support and resources necessary to flourish in their careers."
Justine Anderson, EMEA Chief Operating Officer at BlackRock, stated: "At BlackRock, we are committed to helping build a better, fairer society and the mission of Black Women in Asset Management (BWAM) is firmly aligned with our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy. We know that empowering young Black women in the early stages of their careers is essential for advancing and retaining Black women leaders, whose positive impact within our workforce drives improved outcomes for our clients, our shareholders and all our stakeholders. That is why we are excited to sponsor BWAM and work together to drive the positive impact of the talented Black women who work in asset management."
Eoin Murray, Head of Investment at Federated Hermes stated: "Federated Hermes are thrilled to partner with Black Women in Asset Management. Advancing and retaining black women across all areas of the investment industry is critical to securing the diverse and inclusive workforce that will improve outcomes for our clients."
Christina Drews, Partner, Chief Operating Officer, Member of Executive Committee at Helios stated: "Helios is pleased to join the Black Women in Asset Management organisation as an institutional member and sponsor. In addition to this new partnership, Helios recently became a signatory of ILPA's Diversity in Action initiative, reflecting our longstanding commitment to gender equality and increasing representation not only at our own firm, but also within our portfolio companies. As a pioneering investor on the African continent and certified B Corporation, over 60% of our staff come from minority ethnic backgrounds and 40% is female. Joining BWAM will further our engagement in empowering Black women working across the investment ecosystem."
Mark McLane, Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Well-being at M&G plc stated: "M&G is very proud to sponsor Black Women in Asset Management (BWAM). We're committed to creating an inclusive culture and, with our goal of 40% of senior leaders to be women and 20% to be from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background by 2025, we share BWAM's ambitions. We look forward to working with BWAM to support women from Black and Ethnic Minority backgrounds to advance their careers within asset management and the wider finance industry."
Dhamesh Maniyar, CEO of Maniyar Capital stated: "We are very pleased to partner with BWAM as a part of Maniyar Capital's commitment to diversity. We believe that a diverse team, broadly defined, enables our firm to work at its highest potential, which in turn leads to the best possible outcomes for our clients. We look forward to working with BWAM as we seek diverse and talented candidates for positions at our firm."
Paul Malone, Head of Morningstar UK Executive Sponsor for EMEA Black, Caribbean African Employee Resource Group, said: "I am proud that Morningstar has become a corporate partner of Black Women in Asset Management (BWAM). We aim to provide a workplace that welcomes, celebrates, invests in, and empowers all. Through this partnership, we will work with BWAM to advance and encourage women from Black and Ethnic Minority backgrounds to pursue new and existing careers within the wider finance industry, as well as in asset management."
- More information on institutional membership in BWAM can be found here: http://bwam.network.
- Questions for Black Women in Asset Management may be directed to: info@bwam.network.
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Notes to editors:
About Black Women in Asset Management:
Black Women in Asset Management brings together professionals in the asset management industry aligned around a common goal to advance and retain Black women leaders across all investment strategies. Launched in 2019, BWAM's mission is to champion the positive impact of the talented Black women who work in asset management and provide the tools that will enable them to thrive.
About Ares Management:
Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, private equity, real estate and infrastructure asset classes. We seek to provide flexible capital to support businesses and create value for our stakeholders and within our communities. By collaborating across our investment groups, we aim to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of December 31, 2021, Ares Management Corporation's global platform had approximately $306 billion of assets under management, with approximately 2,100 employees operating across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.aresmgmt.com
About BlackRock UK:
BlackRock is a leading provider of investment, advisory and risk management solutions, and has been active in the UK for over 20 years. Our purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As an investment manager, we connect the capital of diverse individuals and institutions to investments in companies, projects and governments. This helps fuel growth, jobs and innovation, to the benefit of society as a whole. Our clients in the UK include people from all walks of life invested in pension plans, as well as financial institutions, individual savers, UK companies, and the Government. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/uk
About Federated Hermes:
A global leader in active, responsible investment
Federated Hermes is guided by the conviction that responsible investing is the best way to create long-term wealth. We provide specialised capabilities across equity, fixed income and private markets, in addition to multi-asset strategies and proven liquidity-management solutions. Through our world-leading stewardship services, we engage companies on strategic and sustainability concerns to promote investors' long-term performance and fiduciary interests. Our goals are to help individuals invest and retire better, to help clients achieve better risk-adjusted returns, and to contribute to positive outcomes in the wider world. Our brand launched in February 2020, when Federated Hermes, Inc. listed on the New York Stock Exchange, strengthening our position as a global leader in active, responsible investment. This was a natural step in the development of Federated Investors and Hermes Investment Management. Since Federated became the majority owner of Hermes in 2018, we have been united by a shared commitment to client-centric responsible investment and long-term business growth. All activities previously carried out by Hermes now form the international business of Federated Hermes. Our brand has evolved, but we still provide the same distinct investment propositions, deep integration of responsibility and industry-leading stewardship capabilities for which we are renowned in addition to important new offerings from the entire group.
About Helios Investment Partners:
Established in 2004, Helios Investment Partners is the largest Africa-focused private investment firm, with a record that spans creating start-ups to providing expanding companies with growth capital and expertise. The firm is led and managed by a predominantly African team based in London, Paris, Lagos and Nairobi, with the language skills and cultural affinity to engage with local entrepreneurs, managers and intermediaries on the continent. Helios leverages its local and global networks to create attractive proprietary investment opportunities, with an emphasis on building market leaders in core economic sectors and driving performance through a highly engaged approach to portfolio operations. The firm's unique combination of a deep knowledge of the African operating environment, a singular commitment to the region and a proven capability to manage complexity, is reflected in its diverse portfolio of growing, market-leading businesses and its position as a partner of choice in Africa. Helios is the largest emerging markets-focused private equity firm, and second mainstream private equity firm globally, to receive B Corp certification. B Corp status recognizes the firm's long-standing commitment to sustainability and responsible business practices.
About J.P. Morgan Asset Management
J.P. Morgan Asset Management, with assets under management of USD 2.7 trillion (as of December 31, 2021), is a global leader in investment management. J.P. Morgan Asset Management's clients include institutions, retail investors and high net worth individuals in every major market throughout the world. J.P. Morgan Asset Management offers global investment management in equities, fixed income, real estate, hedge funds, private equity and liquidity.
JPMorgan Chase Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading financial services firm based in the United States of America ("U.S."), with operations worldwide. JPMorgan Chase had $3.7 trillion in assets and $294.1 billion in stockholders' equity as of December 31, 2021. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing and asset management. Under the J.P. Morgan and Chase brands, the Firm serves millions of customers in the U.S. and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients globally. Information about JPMorgan Chase Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com
About M&G plc:
M&G plc is a leading international savings and investments business, managing money for both individual savers and institutional investors in 28 markets. As at 31 December 2021, we have £370 billion of AUMA, over 5 million retail customers and more than 800 institutional clients. With a heritage dating back more than 170 years, M&G plc has a long history of innovation in savings and investments, combining asset management and insurance expertise to offer a wide range of solutions. We serve our savings and insurance customers under the Prudential brand in the UK and Europe, and under the M&G Investments brand for asset management clients globally.
About Morningstar, Inc.
Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The Company offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers and owners, retirement plan providers and sponsors, and institutional investors in the debt and private capital markets. Morningstar provides data and research insights on a wide range of investment offerings, including managed investment products, publicly listed companies, private capital markets, debt securities, and real-time global market data. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with approximately $265 billion in assets under advisement and management as of Dec. 31, 2021. The Company has operations in 29 countries. For more information, visit www.morningstar.com/company. Follow Morningstar on Twitter @MorningstarInc
About Maniyar Capital:
Maniyar Capital is a London-based investment manager focused on discretionary macro trading. Maniyar Capital's investment team evaluates investment opportunities across fixed income, currency, equity, commodity, and credit markets on a global basis with an emphasis on the G10 plus 8 major emerging markets. The team utilizes advanced quantitative techniques throughout the investment management process.
About State Street Global Advisors:
For four decades, State Street Global Advisors has served the world's governments, institutions, and financial advisors. With a rigorous, risk-aware approach built on research, analysis and market-tested experience, we build from a breadth of active and index strategies to create cost-effective solutions. As stewards, we help portfolio companies see that what is fair for people and sustainable for the planet can deliver long-term performance. And, as pioneers in index, ETF, and ESG investing, we are always inventing new ways to invest. As a result, we have become the world's fourth-largest asset manager* with US $4.14 trillion† under our care.
*Pensions Investments Research Center, as of 12/31/20.
†This figure is presented as of December 31, 2021 and includes approximately $61.43 billion of assets with respect to SPDR pro ducts for which State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (SSGA FD) acts solely as the marketing agent. SSGA FD and State Street Global Advisors are affiliated.
About State Street Corporation
State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) is one of the world's leading providers of financial services to institutional investors including investment servicing, investment management and investment research and trading. With $43.7 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration and $4.1 trillion* in assets under management as of December 31, 2021, State Street operates globally in more than 100 geographic markets and employs approximately 39,000 worldwide. For more information, visit State Street's website at www.statestreet.com.
*Assets under management as of December 30, 2021 includes approximately $61 billion of assets with respect to SPDR products for which State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (SSGA FD) acts solely as the marketing agent. SSGA FD and State Street Global Advisors are affiliated.
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Contacts:
Jacqueline Taiwo
BWAM Chair and Co-Founder
info@bwam.network
