ICMA’s Networks: ICMA Women’s Network & ICMA Future Leaders

ICMA Women’s Network & ICMA Future Leaders

ICMA Women’s Network

Over the past decade, the ICMA Women’s Network (IWN) has flourished, expanding to 14 regions, each guided by a dedicated regional steering committee member. Today, the IWN boasts almost 5,000 members, united by a shared commitment to achieving gender equality in financial services through career progression, support and networking. The IWN benefits from strong backing by the ICMA Board and the endorsement of prominent industry figures.

In 2024, the IWN hosted 10 in-person events, exploring diverse themes such as the impact of AI on the future of work in finance, the responsibility of female leaders to support upcoming generations, the influence of regulation on gender equality, maintaining mental health in the workplace and a practical masterclass in networking. Smaller regional events - including informal after work drinks, coffee mornings and even a coordinated walk across 3 different cities in the Nordic region – also allow connections to develop and momentum to grow. Online offerings continue to expand, with a 2024 webinar on becoming ‘board-ready’ soon to be complemented by a session on personal branding and optimising LinkedIn, scheduled for 22 January. Looking ahead to 2025, a variety of regional events are planned, including celebrations marking the IWN’s 10th anniversary.

Importantly, the IWN welcomes participants of all genders. Achieving gender equality requires collaboration, so men and individuals of other genders are actively encouraged to join the conversation. Open to employees of all ICMA member firms, the IWN offers a platform to engage, connect, and drive change.

To get involved, email icmawomensnetwork@icmagroup.org and follow IWN updates on LinkedIn.

ICMA Future Leaders

2024 continued to be an active year for IFL under the Chairmanship of Alex Malitsky of TD Securities. The IFL steering committee itself was expanded to include at least two representatives per region while its reach was also extended with the addition of IFL chapters for West Africa, South Africa and Asia Pacific. A number of key initiatives were launched by the IFL steering committee this year including an essay competition on the topic of ‘Navigating the Future of Finance: Transforming Capital Markets for New Talent’ (the winning essay was written by Natalia Lopez, Assistant VP, EMEA at State Street ) and ‘Coffee Connections’, a new networking format which enables a small group of young professionals to have an open, candid and interactive discussion with a leading figure in the capital markets. The first Coffee Connection was held in London in October with ICMA Chair Janet Wilkinson and IFL plans to roll out this out in other regions. New functionalities were also introduced on the ICMA mentoring platform, an initiative launched by the IFL many years ago, including the introduction of new types of mentoring such as reverse and peer-to-peer mentoring.

IFL ran seven events in the past year on various themes including the application of AI in financial markets, the intersection between digitalisation and sustainability on human capital, leadership and empowering the next generation in finance, among others. IFL also continues to issue its quarterly newsletter featuring helpful articles (‘Ask the Coach’) and contributions from the IFL community providing the perspectives of young professionals in the fixed income market.

IFL remains committed to reach out to the ‘next generation’ of market professionals, to ensure that they both access and profit from ICMA’s services and in time assume their places as the industry leaders who will take ICMA’s work forward in the future.

Get in touch to get involved! futureleaders@icmagroup.org and follow IFL updates on LinkedIn.