Linklaters will sponsor Opal Group’s Celebrating Women in Structured Finance Summit in 2023. This summit is an important event that brings together leading professionals from across the structured finance industry to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing women in this field. Opal Group is proud for the support of this event and looks forward to contributing to the conversation.

A strong rooted culture of initiative and innovation

Linklaters is a leading global law firm with over 30 offices in 20 countries and a vast workforce of partners and employees across the globe. They are renowned for their distinctive Linklaters mindset, which has allowed them to cultivate long-term relationships built on excellent service. To ensure every client experience with Linklaters exceeds expectations, they recruit the brightest talent and strive to think innovatively to provide agile solutions efficiently.

Breaking down barriers

Linklaters places diversity, equity and inclusion at the heart of its values and to driving positive and sustainable change. The structured finance industry has been historically male dominated, but we are seeing more and more women taking on leadership roles and making their mark. The Celebrating Women in Structured Finance Summit provides an important platform for these leaders to share their insights and experiences, and Linklaters is proud to be able to play a part in amplifying their voices.

Jennifer Ellis, a Counsel in the Capital Markets team at Linklaters, shares an interesting perspective and reflection on the power of women in the finance industry.

In your opinion, what are the main objectives of the Celebrating Women in Structured Finance Summit 2023 and why sponsor such an event?

The Celebrating Women in Structured Finance Summit 2023 is a milestone event and key to highlighting why we need to build a strong female community across the industry. It also provides the opportunity to explore market opportunities and discuss the challenges that women face in the current market, and to drive discussions of further gender equality initiatives and to empower women in leadership.

At Linklaters, we have a long history of commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and so it comes naturally for us to support this summit in order to shine a light on the achievements of women in the finance industry.

How can Linklaters ensure continued progress towards gender equality in structured finance, and how do you support women executives in your workforce?

As a firm, we have been continuously investing in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives which are a central part of both our culture and values, as well as of our global business strategy, to create fairer systems and a more inclusive culture within our firm and more widely.

Gender equality is one of our six priority areas of focus and we have a substantial gender action plan in place, embedding policies and initiatives to ensure a supportive environment for women in the workplace. These include:

• creating a balanced and sustainable pipeline of female talent at every career level;
• introducing a new global gender diversity target for female partner promotions each year of 40%, an increase from the 30% target which had been in place since 2014;
• leading the way with our parental leave and support benefits and helping to support parental transitions;
• being agile in our approach to working arrangements and career paths; and
• creating opportunities to build understanding of different perspectives and experiences.

What impact would the increased representation of women in structured finance have on the industry?

The evolution of the structured finance industry to becoming more diverse and inclusive is essential in attracting the best talent to the industry and driving innovation with diversity of thought, as diverse voices help to make good decisions. Both women, and men as allies, have an important role to play in championing female talent, promoting women in leadership and providing equal opportunities so that women with an interest in structured finance are given every opportunity to realise their ambitions, reach their full potential, and succeed.

To put progress into action, finance professionals should make a mutual commitment to upholding industry standards of promoting connectivity through the Celebrating Women in Structured Finance Summit 2023. Bringing voices from different perspectives is integral for a comprehensive financial sector as it works towards a more diverse future.

To join the event, register today at https://opalgroup.net/conference/celebrating-women-in-structured-finance-summit-2023/ to learn more about how change can be achieved with collective accountability and collaboration.