Rupal Sachdev Kantaria

· Gen Z attitudes toward money and finances are sometimes aligned with and sometimes starkly different from those of older generations.

· Research suggests that Gen Z trusts traditional banks more to secure their data and needs digital services to be exceptional to retain their customers.
· Financial institutions must understand their motivations and values to take a share of this fast-growing market.

The Women in Finance Climate Action Group believes that climate justice, equity and intergenerational fairness are the foundations of a truly sustainable financial system. The mission of this collective of women leaders is to improve gender equality in climate finance.

The group engaged the Oliver Wyman Forum to develop an action framework to equip investors to apply a gender lens to climate investments. The aim was to create a framework with practical guidance that investors can use… Show more

The Women in Finance Climate Action Group believes that climate justice, equity and intergenerational fairness are the foundations of a truly sustainable financial system. The mission of this collective of women leaders is to improve gender equality in climate finance.

The group engaged the Oliver Wyman Forum to develop an action framework to equip investors to apply a gender lens to climate investments. The aim was to create a framework with practical guidance that investors can use that clearly articulates the value of applying a gender lens and covers various elements of the investment lifecycle. Show less

Contributor to this excellent report -
To better understand Gen Z, we studied them over a two-year period, focusing on the age 18 to 25 cohort — those old enough to have potentially joined the workforce and exercised more independent buying power than younger members of their generation. Our research included focus groups and a recent online survey of 10,000 adults in the United States and the United Kingdom.

We’ve organized this research into seven sections that describe how… Show more

Contributor to this excellent report -
To better understand Gen Z, we studied them over a two-year period, focusing on the age 18 to 25 cohort — those old enough to have potentially joined the workforce and exercised more independent buying power than younger members of their generation. Our research included focus groups and a recent online survey of 10,000 adults in the United States and the United Kingdom.

We’ve organized this research into seven sections that describe how Generation Z will profoundly change how we live, work, shop, invest, interact, react, stay healthy, and stay informed. In the workplace, autonomy, transparency, and training will be the price employers pay for Gen Zers’ loyalty. And as the largest and most disruptive generation ever, their behaviors will reward companies that can tap into their zeitgeist — and doom those that are, well, cheugy.

Gen Zers are empathetic, pragmatic, cynical, resourceful, self protective, and wise beyond their years. And yet … Gen Zers are unfinished products. Their mastery of technology has left their social skills less developed. They have challenges spotting misinformation, and a fear of making mistakes. Having seen the older millennials live out their lives on the big social platforms — with cringe results — many Gen Zers have retreated to obscure microsites where they can better control the narrative.

But if you dismiss their choices — and assume they will revert to the social norms because we did — you’re gonna get played, no cap. Their individuality, morality, and preference for experience over possessions are seared into their DNA. They are a force of nature, and they will shape the future in ways that we haven’t seen for nearly a century. Show less

More than a fifth of major corporations have pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Yet few actively include or consider women in their climate action decisions and plans.

This is a mistake. Research shows that women are the most likely change‑makers for climate in economic areas from corporate leadership to product development. But these potential contributions are generally overlooked, we discovered in interviews with more than 20 companies across a range of industries.
Most… Show more

More than a fifth of major corporations have pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Yet few actively include or consider women in their climate action decisions and plans.

This is a mistake. Research shows that women are the most likely change‑makers for climate in economic areas from corporate leadership to product development. But these potential contributions are generally overlooked, we discovered in interviews with more than 20 companies across a range of industries.
Most corporate leaders have climate and diversity top of mind. Many companies set gender targets for their leadership, and some for their wider workforce and customer bases. Separately, businesses set targets for achieving net‑zero emissions.

These challenges should be linked together, especially given the similarities in their requirements for tangible impact: committed leadership, a rigorous focus on data, and continuous learning across the organization. Our conversations and research uncovered opportunities for corporations to speed up the world’s race to net zero by mainstreaming gender considerations in climate‑focused business initiatives — in particular, by actively considering women in three roles.

Climate action leaders: More women should be in leadership positions. They are often more open than men to changes that will drive climate action but are underrepresented in decision‑making positions, especially in carbon‑intensive industries.

Climate-lens investors: Climate solutions require large‑scale investment. Women are growing in importance as investors who have a stronger preference than men for investing that prioritizes environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) factors.

Low-carbon product influencers: To persuade consumers to buy more low‑carbon products, corporations should consider women’s preferences more closely. Women make a large proportion of household purchase decisions in areas that generate high emissions, such as food, travel, and energy. Show less

There have long been concerns about the lack of women at senior levels in the Financial Services industry. Many have said that the excessive risk taking and mistreatment of customers in the pre-2007 boom were caused by the overwhelming masculinity of the industry; some have asked whether the crisis might have been avoided if Lehman Brothers had been Lehman Sisters. That is not the whole story, of course. The crisis had many causes. And a lack of diversity has many consequences. But regardless… Show more

There have long been concerns about the lack of women at senior levels in the Financial Services industry. Many have said that the excessive risk taking and mistreatment of customers in the pre-2007 boom were caused by the overwhelming masculinity of the industry; some have asked whether the crisis might have been avoided if Lehman Brothers had been Lehman Sisters. That is not the whole story, of course. The crisis had many causes. And a lack of diversity has many consequences. But regardless of your views, it remains clear that the sector is not accessing all the available talent.

We obviously pride ourselves on applying our in-depth expertise to help our clients to tackle and address their most challenging and difficult problems. In this report we have tried to move beyond individual experience and anecdote to explore the questions: What stops women getting to the top in financial firms? And how can the industry improve?

To assemble a fact base for this report we have analysed the gender mix of senior staff at over 150 firms internationally and surveyed over 1,000 current and potential financial services employees from 5 countries. And, for by far the most interesting part of our research, we interviewed over 60 senior women (and a few men!) from across the sector.

We have been surprised by some of the results, and our conviction that financial firms, and we, must do more to support women has only increased. We hope you will be equally interested and inspired by what we now plan to make an ongoing study.
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Financial exclusion is economically crippling. While great progress has been made in financial inclusion in emerging markets with 700M entering the financial system over the past 5 years, a gender imbalance persists with the gap remaining a stubborn 7 percentage points.
Having gathered senior stakeholders across financial services, Government, global retailers, mobile phone operators,NGOs and beyond - our report argues for four themes to make real progress. 1) "The Proof is in the Profit" -… Show more

Financial exclusion is economically crippling. While great progress has been made in financial inclusion in emerging markets with 700M entering the financial system over the past 5 years, a gender imbalance persists with the gap remaining a stubborn 7 percentage points.
Having gathered senior stakeholders across financial services, Government, global retailers, mobile phone operators,NGOs and beyond - our report argues for four themes to make real progress. 1) "The Proof is in the Profit" - more data and pilots are needed to prove these low income segments can be served profitably 2) Government as a catalyst for change - Government must balance inclusion with competitiveness with stability. 3) Ecosystem not Egosystem - participants are still taking a siloed approach - for success they must work together 4) "Ladies first" - female propositons cannot be ex post 'add ons' - they must be at the core of a proposition. Show less