Women in Securities Finance (WISF) culminates its five-year anniversary celebration by ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
Celebrating the milestone, 100 guests — including active members of the group and supportive allies — gathered on the NYSE floor to watch as WISF leaders rang the closing bell to signal the end of the trading day.
The NYSE podium was graced with the WISF leadership team, including the group’s co-founders Elaine Kim Benfield, Arianne Collette and Jill Rathgeber.
Also in attendance were chapter leads representing Boston (Christel Carroll, Betsy Coyne, Brooke Gillman and Marney McCabe), Chicago (Lori Paris and Colleen Kenney), Toronto (Roanna Kim and Mary Jane Schuessler) and London (Ina Budh-Raja).
This marks the final event in a series of celebrations regarding this milestone for the group.
Previously, the network came together in a Market Open Ceremony hosted by the London Stock Exchange Group. Following this, the group rang the Toronto Stock Exchange opening bell.
Rathgeber, director of securities finance product development at BNY Mellon says: “It was an honour to be able to ring the NYSE closing bell and a perfect way to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Women in Securities Finance.
“It has been an amazing experience to watch WISF develop and grow, and I am grateful to be on this journey with my co-founders and our inspiring and dedicated leadership team. I look forward to seeing what the next five years brings.”
Collette, executive director, COO and head of business development for reinvestment and participant engagement at Morgan Stanley, adds: “It is a proud moment to be surrounded by the driven and dedicated WISF leaders, members, allies and friends to highlight the group’s success and accomplishments.
“Over the past five years, we have grown from a small group of colleagues to a global organisation with more than 1000 members, across five chapters. We are driving change to create a more inclusive industry and this milestone is a fantastic way to close out the year. Watch what we do next!”
The mission of WISF is to create a community to foster connections and promote the advancement of women in the securities finance industry. The group was formed in early 2018 and is open to all members of the securities finance community.
