SovereigNET is pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative, The Women of Sovereign Wealth Funds. According to the 2021 OMFIF Gender Balance Index:
- Less than 1% of leading global financial institutions achieved gender balance in 2021;
- Only 8 out of 72 SWF CEOs are women, and less than 25% have any women at all in senior management;
- Sovereign funds remain the least balanced institutions overall compared to commercial and central banks and public pension funds
Levels of Female Presence in Central Banks by Seniority
![](https://sites.tufts.edu/sovereignet/files/2021/05/image.png)
![](https://sites.tufts.edu/sovereignet/files/2021/05/image-1.png)
Through this new initiative, we aspire to focus increased attention on the significant gender disparity that exists in the employment makeup within SWFs by:
- Interviewing women in senior leadership positions at SWFs on their work and the steps SWFs can take to reduce the gender gap;
- Actively researching and sharing evidence that diversity leads to improved performance and business outcomes;
- Leveraging our network to collect data to reinforce that a greater degree of diversity leads to improved results.
Links to Resources:
- Equileap Gender Equality Global Report & Ranking 2021 Edition
- OMFIF Gender Balance Index 2021
- Knight Foundation: Diversifying Investments: A Study of Ownership Diversity and Performance in the Asset Management Industry
- Scientific American: How Diversity Makes Us Smarter
- Forbes: Diversity Confirmed to Boost Innovation and Financial Results
- Norway wealth fund tells firms: put more women on your boards
If you have anything you’d like to share with us regarding The Women of Sovereign Wealth Funds Initiative, please contact us here: