As our firm continues its ongoing sponsorship of the Girls Are Investors (GAIN) charity, Investment Manager Laura Langton talks about her involvement in the scheme and its importance for the industry.
Girls Are Investors (GAIN) is a charity who aim to help young women and non-binary students begin their investment management careers. JM Finn has renewed its sponsorship of this incredibly important charity: not only does GAIN support the students looking for new roles, it also enables the companies and staff involved to understand the issues facing women entering the industry and how we can remove these barriers. GAIN have reached over 50,000 students directly through their events, programmes and content and have over 2,000 investment industry volunteers, of which I am one.
I first started working with GAIN in 2020, delivering talks to schools and universities whilst mentoring individuals as they navigated applying for graduate roles. My own path into investment management was unconventional and I found the application process to various firms incredibly opaque and confusing. I read history at university, and this was already a barrier to starting a career in financial services. Coupled with a lack of knowledge of the various jargon used throughout the industry, I struggled to gain traction in my attempts to kick start my investment management career. I am therefore passionate about making it clearer and more appealing to young women to enter the investment industry and believe organisations such as GAIN are refreshing and integral to achieving this goal.
Financial literacy is also scarcely covered in school curriculum and bringing the importance of investing and teaching the fundamentals of compounding growth to young women will also help combat the investment gap that is prevalent between genders. A fantastic initiative that GAIN promote is The School Investment Challenge, where teams of years 10-13 student learn the basics of stock analysis and compete for cash prizes. Last year I mentored one of the top 3 schools and it was interesting to hear their views on the individual companies they had been allocated to research and discuss how they projected the companies’ futures. Even if these girls do not go on to an investment management career, it is fantastic exposure to building long-term growth in their savings and learning how they might achieve financial stability outside of their income.
Finally, JM Finn has supported the GAIN Summer Internship programme, which has involved students working alongside investment teams over a six to eight week period. This has given the students an insight into the working world, whilst envisaging how a career in investment management might look. It has been incredibly rewarding to mentor these young women and help develop their knowledge and experience within the corporate environment. This internship also complements the existing JM Finn work experience weeks and Young Women in Finance Day, which have been longstanding features of the calendar.
I look forward to continuing to support GAIN throughout my own career, in order to continue to understand the challenges facing young women in the industry and help to develop future talent.
Tanya Tracey, CEO at GAIN, explained why the firm’s sponsorship is so important: "We’re proud to announce that JM Finn is continuing their support of GAIN UK! At GAIN, we know that diverse perspectives are key to driving innovation and creating a more inclusive financial sector. JM Finn shares this vision and is dedicated to opening doors for women and non-binary individuals in investment decision-making roles. Thanks to their support, we can continue offering mentorship, programmes, and opportunities that empower the next generation of leaders to thrive in the investment industry. Together, we’re breaking barriers and building a more equitable future in finance. A huge thank you to JM Finn for their ongoing commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion. We’re excited to keep making a difference, together!"
