[ I N T E R V I E W
| S T E F A N I E
imposed diversity measure, then
you are never going to truly earn
their trust. Positions should be
achieved based on merit and firms
need to be picking the right people
based on the required skill sets and
backgrounds, not on an enforced
quota for hiring by gender or
ethnicity etc.
At the same time, our industry
is undergoing rapid changes as
part of the digital revolution and
it is more important than ever to
have an edge, to be better pre-
pared, better educated and to work
better as a team. Bringing the right
attitude along to an ever-changing
environment, enjoying the fast
pace and being pragmatic, whilst
keeping the greater vision in sight,
are necessary traits in financial
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H O LT Z E - J E N ]
services too.
Now we are entering into an
increasingly difficult economic
environment and many people
may not want to risk speaking out
about opportunities or gaps in
knowledge which need to be filled,
even though this is exactly what
we need right now. This could be
having an approachable employer
who is open and supportive of
furthering your ideas and skills,
which I’m fortunate to have with
DWS, or perhaps to find a mentor
or to act as a mentor to others. But
most importantly, women and oth-
er underrepresented groups need
to take the initiative themselves
and start being more proactive at
putting themselves forward and
asking for further training, more
responsibility and better exposure
to be part of shaping this indus-
try’s future.
In which ways will a more diverse
workforce benefit the FX industry
as a whole?
SHJ: The evidence is that more
diversity is proven to deliver better
results. A 2018 study of 1,000
companies across 12 countries
by McKinsey and Co found that
companies in the top quartile for
gender diversity on
their executive
teams were 21%
more likely to
experience
above-average
profitability.
Meanwhile,