|
ICMA Women’s Network & ICMA Future Leaders ICMA Women’s Network 2025 marked a significant milestone for the ICMA Women’s Network (IWN): its 10-year anniversary. Over the past decade, the IWN has grown into a global network of almost 5,000 members across 14 regions. Collectively, these regions have hosted more than 70 events, reflecting the strength, reach and sustained engagement of the network. ICMA marked this anniversary year with a series of celebratory events and strategic initiatives that both recognised progress to date and reinforced the IWN’s commitment to advancing gender equality in financial markets. A key initiative in 2025 was the launch of the IWN’s first member survey. Designed to gather industry insights and lived experiences, the survey aimed to inform meaningful action on gender equality and identify ideas that could be implemented locally to promote gender balance and inclusion. The survey attracted extremely rich responses, which will form the basis of a dedicated piece of written collateral to support future IWN initiatives and advocacy. To commemorate the 10-year anniversary, IWN welcomed 85 guests to a celebratory evening. The event provided an opportunity to reflect on progress made towards gender equality in financial markets while acknowledging the challenges that remain. Industry leaders, professionals and advocates came together to share perspectives and discuss how to continue driving meaningful and inclusive change. The anniversary year was further marked with a globally coordinated IWN walk. Despite challenging conditions, including adverse weather and transport disruption, members participated in walks across 10 cities worldwide. These walks gave rise to meaningful conversations, new connections and solidarity, reinforcing the importance of networking and shared experiences. Male colleagues also joined the initiative, demonstrating the vital role of allies. Elsewhere, throughout 2025, the IWN continued to deliver a broad programme of events, including local meetups, webinars, panel discussions and networking sessions. Highlights included a session on cultivating and strengthening personal branding and strategic digital presence, personal experiences of gender stereotyping and strategies to address it, a discussion on the role of mentors and sponsors in professional and personal development, an event on advancing human rights and gender equality, a session highlighting the link between female leadership and financial independence and a panel on preserving human distinctiveness in the face of AI. The momentum from the anniversary year continues into 2026, with several events already planned, ensuring that the IWN continues to build on its strong foundation and deliver impact across regions. 2025 has been a significant year of expansion and momentum for ICMA Future Leaders (IFL). Under the leadership of Chair Alex Malitsky of TD Securities, the steering committee welcomed 12 new representatives from Belgium, France, West Africa, Italy, the UK, Luxembourg, Iberia, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Online engagement also strengthened considerably, supported by the launch of monthly IFL LinkedIn polls and a 33.6% increase in followers compared to 2024. Over the past year, IFL delivered nine events covering a broad range of timely themes, including the profile of the “ideal candidate” in 2025, the art of negotiation, navigating tariff tensions, and the impact of technological change on capital markets. Following the successful introduction of Coffee Connections in 2024, an intimate networking format designed to bring small groups of young professionals together with senior industry leaders, IFL hosted three sessions this year in Ireland, Singapore, and France. IFL also played a prominent role at the 2025 AGM & Conference in Frankfurt. ICMA offered complimentary passes to young professionals to support early career engagement, and Samira Lampe, Germany’s IFL Committee Representative, presented an overview of the year’s initiatives during the Annual General Meeting. In collaboration with IWN, IFL co-hosted a well-attended networking reception and joint breakfast session exploring the importance of mentorship, coaching, and sponsorship in building successful careers in finance. The quarterly IFL newsletter continues to provide valuable insights, featuring expert advice through the Ask the Coach series and contributions from young professionals across the fixed income community. IFL remains committed to engaging the next generation of market participants, ensuring they benefit from ICMA’s services and are well positioned to become the industry leaders who will advance ICMA’s mission into the future.
|
|
