Increasing the number of women in our industry is a priority for the Australian Investment Council.

In 2014, we formed an industry-wide initiative to identify the ways in which we could help to attract, support and retain a more diverse investment professional workforce across our industry. The initiative is supported by the Board of Directors and a range of specific activities are managed by a dedicated team of industry practitioners who participate in the Australian Investment Council’s Diversity Committee.

Some of the key features of our work in this area includes the development and oversight of an industry-leading mentoring program to connect emerging female leaders in the industry with senior leaders, who can provide support and share industry knowledge to help retain our best and brightest talent for the long-term.

In 2018 we launched an update on the progress that our industry has made in boosting diversity across the private capital sector. ‘The case for change’ details the specific initiatives that helped to improve diversity in our industry, and provides a benchmark for the number of female investment professionals involved in the industry as fund managers, investors, or other investment support professionals. In 2018, the data compiled in the report confirmed that there were around 161 female investment professionals in the sector, representing around 20 percent of all investment professionals in Australia.

Read the stories of the inspiring women leading a path of success in our diversity role model series.

Practical guidance to assist small firms with implementation of policies to support greater diversity can be found in our Diversity Handbook. This toolkit was designed to help firms in key areas such as recruitment, retention, and more flexible day-to-day work practices.

Every year, the Australian Investment Council acknowledges and celebrates member firms that have developed industry-leading practices to support and boost diversity and inclusion across the industry as part of the annual awards ceremony.

Contact us to find out more about our work in this area. Fund managers and investors can register their interest as a mentor or mentee in our diversity mentoring program by emailing us.