{"id":31076,"date":"2021-01-27T16:57:26","date_gmt":"2021-01-27T21:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.greenmoney.com\/2025\/?p=31076"},"modified":"2021-02-24T23:03:58","modified_gmt":"2021-02-25T04:03:58","slug":"my-journey-on-the-road-less-traveled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.greenmoney.com\/2025\/my-journey-on-the-road-less-traveled\/","title":{"rendered":"My Journey on the Road Less Traveled"},"content":{"rendered":"
>> Back to February 2021 Issue<\/a><\/div>\n

\"DominiThe road less traveled has always been the path I\u2019ve found myself on in life, whether intentionally or not. As a young girl, I did not grow up believing that I would have a career in finance. I was beguiled by misconceptions that the field was too difficult and the bar for entry too insurmountably high. Even more daunting was the lack of representation of women within the financial sector.<\/p>\n

Prior to the onset of my professional career, I chose to attend the University of St. Andrews, a Scottish university located in a small town nestled on the North Sea. I found myself in a new culture, surrounded by people from different backgrounds with fresh points of view. While the rigorous academics and people I met at St. Andrews greatly shaped both my personal and professional trajectory, I did not pursue a \u2018classically finance-oriented\u2019 degree, majoring instead in International Relations. Through this area of study, I followed my interests in political theories, governing bodies, and matters of foreign policy. In my senior dissertation, I dug deeper into the structural inequities that result from these systems and the implications for marginalized populations in Latin America. From this vantage point, I began my career in finance. Somewhat accidently, I stumbled into the realm of impact investing, but was ultimately compelled by the principles of this investment thesis.<\/p>\n

I was fortunate enough to find my way to Domini Impact Investments, an SEC-registered investment advisor with an exclusive focus on impact investing. Domini is a women-led and founded firm, often seen as a rarity in the mutual fund world. In fact, as of the close of 2020, the firm was made up of over 60 percent women. This representation includes four of the top six executives, with our CEO and Chair<\/em> also listed as the named co-portfolio managers on a number of our products. While a women-led environment has shaped my personal experience in the sector, it\u2019s far from the norm.<\/p>\n

\"At
photo courtesy of Morningstar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a 2020 article, Morningstar<\/a> reported that the representation of women among fund managers globally has stayed largely stagnant over the course of the last twenty years, stating:<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of 2000, 14 percent of fund managers were women. At the end of 2019, 14 percent of fund managers were women\u201d.<\/h3>\n

Statistics such as Morningstar\u2019s serve as cogent reminder that financial firms like Domini remain rare enclaves of change within an industry with much progress still to make. With that said, there are signals of coming growth and evolution. With investors calling for greater diversity and inclusion, I believe that we will soon see a systemic shift of women in leadership positions at financial institutions. As a young woman in finance, I am energized to be a part of a financial firm that positions women within roles of executive leadership.<\/p>\n

In my capacity leading the firm\u2019s Institutional Client Relationships team, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to serve and interact across our institutional client and intermediary channels. In working closely with such financial professionals and sharing the advantages that impact investing can have on our portfolios, planet and society, I find great purpose in my role and hope my efforts contribute to pushing the field forward. The entities we work with range across a wide spectrum – many at the initial precipice of their search, just beginning to integrate ESG & impact strategies into their client offerings. Others have dedicated long-term efforts to building renowned in-house impact institutions. But across this spectrum of impact integration is the resounding client encouragement to align their portfolios with their own personal values and contemporary issues of interest.<\/p>\n