Applications open for CFA Institute Young Women in Investment initiative 2020
Hyderabad: CFA Institute, the global association of investment management professionals, opens applications for its Young Women in Investment initiative. The 2020 program is for up to 100 selected women from any educational discipline. Candidates need to be at the minimum final-year students graduating in 2020, though candidates with higher qualifications and/or experience are also eligible to apply. Applications will close when all 100 places on the program are filled or on 8 March 2020, whichever is earlier. Eligible women can apply for the program at www.empoweringyoungwomen.cfa.
“Lack of mentorship and opportunity has often been cited by women, particularly in tier 2/3 cities in India, as impediments to building a career. On the other hand, emerging evidence suggests that diversity can lead to higher profits and fewer risks in the investment industry. With the Young Women in Investment initiative, we are hoping to bridge the gap between the finance industry’s need for diversity and women’s desire to pursue a career in the industry,” said Amit Chakarabarty, Director, Institutional Relations, South & South East Asia, CFA Institute.
The intensive four-week boot camps, which take place simultaneously at centres in Mumbai and Bengaluru, include free room and board. Each boot camp will cover business skills and the basics of the investment industry, such as ethics, micro and macroeconomics, regulations, risk management, financial statements, securities, alternative investments, quantitative concepts, machine learning, financial modeling, with classroom sessions led by senior industry professionals. All participants who complete the boot camp will be offered a stipend-paying internship for three-to-six months at a leading financial institution in India, subject to certain conditions.
To create awareness about the Young Women in Investment initiative, CFA Institute today organised a seminar on ‘Career Opportunities in Financial Services for Women’ at St. Mary’s College, Yousufguda, Hyderabad. The free forum featured a session by Amit Chakarabarty, Director, Institutional Relations, South & South East Asia, CFA Institute and also allowed attendees to meet past participants from the program.
Launched in 2018, the ‘Young Women in Investment’ program aims to create awareness about, instill interest in and enable women to view the investment management industry as a viable long-term career option. It is also an attempt to help these young women gain a better understanding of the flexibility within the industry and address concerns that the financial sector disproportionately rewards those who work long and inflexible hours. The program is a part of a wider CFA Institute Women in Investment Management initiative that seeks to improve investor outcomes by encouraging gender diversity in the investment management industry.