The stories of women working in asset management are as dynamic as the change the industry has experienced in the past decade with the rise of ETFs.
Just as these funds have challenged traditional asset management models, especially long-dominant mutual funds, women working to create and promote ETFs have gained leadership roles largely unavailable to them a decade ago.
A number of this year's winners of Money Management Executive's Top Women in Asset Management Awards play pivotal roles in the development of ETFs, such as State Street's Lynn S. Blake and BlackRock's Amy Schioldager. And newcomers such as Invesco's Michelle Mikos blend work with efforts to support the development of others.
Several of this year's winners are members of Women in ETFs, a group founded last January with the idea that there's a bigger place for women in the ETF industry. The group now consists of over 1,000 members in the global ETF industry.
This list builds on that effort, identifying 15 women influencing the broader fund provider industry and making a substantial impact on their organizations. All of these women stand out for their unique leadership positions and for their propensity to help others rise in the field.
Money Management Executive's editorial team selected these women through dozens of conversations with industry sources, including conversations with many of last year's winners, which consisted of women from a range of companies - Northern Trust Asset Management, TIAA-CREF, Proshare Advisors, Voya Investment Management, Franklin Resources, JP Morgan Asset Management, Pimco, US Global Investors, Wells Fargo Advantage Funds and BlackRock.
The 15 women on this year's list were selected based on their contributions to the industry - whether it's helping to incorporate new technologies to increase operational efficiency or making the decision to avoid overly complex fund products - and for their roles as leaders and mentors.
The idea for the Top Women in Asset Management Awards-grew last year from internal discussions about the opportunity and need for stronger female representation within our issues, building on insights and lessons learned from our sister publications' Women Advisors Forum (which incorporates events tailored to addressing the professional needs and interests of women in the financial advisory industry).
In our profiles of our winners this year, many offer advice based on the lessons gained from their own experiences navigating a field that is still mostly populated by men.
But even that reality presents an opportunity for women to advance change, says Blake, State Street Group Advisors' executive vice president and chief investment officer of global equity beta solutions.
"I mentor five women at SSGA and foster discussions on leadership development, networking and having a strong voice, but I also try to bring men into the conversation ... their buy-in and support is critical."
Check back with Money Management Executive's website to read profiles of this year's winners, to be posted all week.
