20 October 2020

As part of D&I Week, 130 participants joined a discussion on the critical role women have in the wealth management and private banking industry

2:00 Min

The last day of Diversity & Inclusion Week in Germany was dedicated to gender representation. Carsten Kahl, Head of Wealth Management & Private Banking, welcomed Dr. Claudia Mayfeld, Chairwoman of the Risk Committee and a member of the HVB Supervisory Board and Remuneration Control Committee, to a talk about the perspectives of women in the traditionally male-dominated Wealth Management and Private Banking sector.

Dr. Mayfeld offered several tips on how to attract and improve roles for women as currently, female wealth managers and private bankers remain a rarity. Flexible working models and results-oriented managers are required to enable women to achieve a professional work and family-life balance to remain motivated in seeking managerial positions after parental leave. An additional tip for our female employees: network. She said it is vital for women to participate in professional networking activities and to invest time in building connections. It is also equally important for women to take on leadership roles and offer professional advice.

For male colleagues, she told them to not feel intimidated, as “Diversity & Inclusion means that both men and women will have equal opportunities.” Moreover, Sigrid Hark gave on the role of women as customers the following strong message “with a third of the world’s wealth under their control, women have become a strong economic power. If we internalise that wealthy women represent a significant business potential for us, we can set ourselves apart from the competition for these clients.” The discussion ended with an aspirational message to the audience: “have the courage and the ambition to show yourselves and take the initiative!”