The Women in Finance Chair will be co-directed by Almudena Canibano, professor of human resources, and Marion Festing, professor of human resources and intercultural leadership.

Based on the fact that women are still under-represented in key positions in the finance sector, the Women in Finance Chair has set itself the task, in collaboration with six partner companies, of analysing the causes of this deficit.

The distinctive feature of this five-year Chair is its human resources-based approach. Its objective is to identify the reasons behind this state of affairs, as well as the best practices and pitfalls to attract, retain and promote women in finance.

The Chair is committed to highlighting ‘gender advantage’ and examining the ethical underpinnings, performance, innovation and talent associated with it. It will explore the obstacles and advantages inherent in working in finance. The aim is to highlight the benefits of diversity, promote female leadership and provide information about the strengths of the financial sector. Far from being limited to mathematical and analytical knowledge, finance requires an understanding of the major issues facing society and excellent management skills.

The scientific directors emphasise:

“The Women in Finance Chair is much more than academic research. It is a catalyst for transformation in finance. By understanding the obstacles and highlighting the strengths of diversity, we aim to bring about tangible change. In this way, this chair becomes a driving force for equal opportunities, innovation and sustainable prosperity in the financial sector, demonstrating that a diversity of perspectives is imperative to the success and sustainability of our industry.” Almudena Canibano, Co-Director of the Women in Finance Chair

“The Women in Finance Chair embodies our deep commitment to equity and inclusion in the financial sector. By investigating the underlying reasons for the lack of female representation, we seek to open doors, inspire and catalyse concrete change. This initiative is not simply a study, but a call to action to transform the trend and create an equitable and diverse financial future.” Marion Festing, Co-Director of the Women in Finance Chair

The opening ceremony for the Chair took place on Friday 15th December, under the chairmanship of the Dean of Faculty, Professor Pramuan Bunkanwanicha, and Véronique de la Bachelerie, member of the Board of Directors of the ESCP Foundation.

To celebrate the launch of the Chair, a morning of discussion and debate was organised, including round tables followed by workshops to facilitate exchanges between academics, professionals and students on the following topics:

“Why is the representation of women important in finance?” With a keynote speech by Alberta Di Giuli, professor of finance and dean of the ESCP campus in Turin.
“Opportunities and barriers for careers in Finance – the challenge of gender equity”: With a debate led by representatives of the Chair’s partner companies.

A choice of four workshops was offered to over 100 participants:

Should I look for a job in Finance?
Engaging men in gender diversity programmes?
Building a career in Finance: the importance of ESG in career choices
Work-life balance and well-being in the finance industry

To learn more about the Women in Finance Chair, visit escp.eu.

Press Contacts:

ESCP, Emily Olyarchuk, +33 (1) 49 23 24 62, [email protected]
Amala Partners, Jean-Michel Cagin, +33 6 61 39 10 00, [email protected]
Ardian, Louis Silvestre (Publicis Consultants), [email protected]
Eight Advisory, Stephane Nenez, +33 6 24 32 16 05, [email protected]
Lombard Odier, Carole Morgenthaler, + 41 22 709 95 34, [email protected]
Ondra, Hugo Bednarski, +33 6 67 88 17 83, [email protected]
Vauban Infrastructure Partners, Havas Paris – Roxane Certner : + 33 6 46 89 25 00, [email protected] and Estelle Bleuze: + 33 6 73 97 94 17, [email protected]

ESCP Business School was founded in 1819. The School has chosen to teach responsible leadership, open to the world and based on European multiculturalism. Six campuses in Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, Turin and Warsaw are the stepping stones that allow students to experience this European approach to management. Several generations of entrepreneurs and managers were thus trained in the firm belief that the business world may feed society in a positive way. This conviction and ESCP’s values – excellence, singularity, creativity and plurality – daily guide our mission and build its pedagogical vision. Every year, ESCP welcomes 10000+ students and 6000 managers from 135 different nationalities. Its strength lies in its many business training programmes, both general and specialised (Bachelor, Master, MBA, Executive MBA, PhD and Executive Education), all of which include a multi-campus experience.

It all starts here. Website: www.escp.eu. Follow us on X: @ESCP_BS

Amala Partners is a fully independent investment banking and private capital advisory firm dedicated to entrepreneurs and investors in the Private Equity. We are driven by a single mission: enable shareholders and financial sponsors to attain their strategic growth, funding and liquidity goals. Incepted in October 2020, Amala Partners is a fast-growing firm, with a bold and independent mindset, aligned with the projects of entrepreneurs and investors it supports. It now has about fifty professionals. In 2023, Amala Partners acted on c.30 transactions covering all market segments (smid-, upper-mid and large cap) and all industries (education, tech, green, healthcare, services, industries, consumer). In total, the Managing Partners advised on more than 500 M&A transactions, financing operations and GP solutions.

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house, managing or advising $160bn of assets on behalf of more than 1,470 clients globally. Our broad expertise, spanning Private Equity, Real Assets and Credit, enables us to offer a wide range of investment opportunities and respond flexibly to our clients’ differing needs. Our 1,050+ employees, spread across 19 offices in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Middle East are strongly committed to the principles of Responsible Investment and are determined to make finance a force for good in society. Our goal is to deliver excellent investment performance combined with high ethical standards and social responsibility. At Ardian, we believe that diverse and inclusive companies are more creative, innovative, and outperform their counterparts. Promoting gender diversity is one of our key pillars of action to foster I&D within our firm. For instance, Ardian Women’s Club was launched in May 2018 by and for women of Ardian to help them develop their careers within Ardian, expand their networks and support each other to succeed as well as unite all Ardian women around common values. At Ardian we invest all of ourselves in building companies that last.

Eight Advisory is the European leader in independent consulting firms. Bringing together nearly 850 professionals including around a hundred Partners, in 14 offices located in France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and United States, Eight Advisory intervenes in Transaction, Restructuring and Business Transformation situations, through financial, tax, operational, and strategic advisory services. In addition, Eight Advisory is one of the founding members of the Eight International alliance which brings together nearly 4,000 professionals present in around thirty countries around the world.

Founded in 1796, Lombard Odier has strong Swiss roots and a resolutely international outlook with more than 25 offices worldwide. For over 225 years, the Group has combined investment expertise, innovation and prudence to remain aligned with the long-term interests of its private and institutional clients, enabling it to weather more than 40 financial crises. Solely owned by its Managing Partners, the Group has a strong, liquid and conservatively invested balance sheet. In 2019, Lombard Odier was the first global wealth and asset manager to receive B Corp™ certification. Convinced that the environmental transition represents the greatest investment opportunity of our time, Lombard Odier has built strategic partnerships with Oxford University and Systemiq, and created the sustainable investment platform holistiQ.

Founded in 2008 in Paris and London, Ondra is an independent investment bank specialising in financial advisory services for complex transactions such as cross-border mergers, transformative M&A, restructuring, etc. Ondra’s values include discretion, a strong alignment of interests with its clients and technical expertise. Ondra provides its clients with a tailor-made service and nurtures business relationships with a deep emphasis on long-term strategic vision.

Vauban Infrastructure Partners is a leading Infrastructure asset manager focused on the core infrastructure market. Headquartered in Paris with a subsidiary in Luxembourg, it employs 75 professionals, the majority of whom have been working together for over a decade. Vauban targets predominantly European brownfield mid-market assets pursuing a long-term yield-driven strategy matching the underlying nature of assets and long-term commitment to all stakeholders’ interests through a strong focus on creating sustainable value. Vauban has raised over €8.4 billion across 7 funds in core infrastructure from over 100 investors within 17 different countries and has invested in over 70 assets in mobility, energy transition, social & digital infrastructure across 14 different geographies. https://vauban-ip.com/