National Australia Bank : NAB broadens gender initiative to drive industry change on the trading floors

NAB's Fixed Income, Currency and Commodities (FICC) business has today launched its inaugural FICC Women in Trading Connections Day, a networking and development event aimed at bridging the industry gender gap to drive greater inclusion across the banking sector.

The event - an Australian first initiative - is designed to provide mentoring and networking opportunities for emerging females from the trading floor, as well as NAB's institutional clients to strengthen their knowledge, skills and personal brand.

Emerging female talent from NAB's institutional clients are nominated to attend the exclusive event, which will feature a keynote address from personal brand expert, Colette Werden, and include a panel discussion with industry experts from NAB customer and partner organisations.

FICC Head of Capital Management, Clearing and Collateral, Kate Birchall, said: 'There is a tremendous opportunity to bring the industry together to address the gender gap in the sector.''

'Having spent more than15 years on the trading floor, I know first-hand how isolating it feels working in a male-dominated industry. It's vital that women are provided with the networking, career development and mentorship they need in order to succeed in their careers.

'FICC Connections Day is aimed at providing women in the industry with the networking and growth opportunities to empower them to succeed in their careers. We need women to feel supported, less isolated and more connected with industry peers - and this problem can't be solved by one company alone.

'At NAB, we saw an opportunity to work closely with clients and industry partners to drive this change and equality in the industry, not just within our own business but across the wider industry,' said Birchall.

The FICC Connections Day follows other initiatives introduced by NAB's FICC team to work towards creating a more equal and supportive workplace. The FICC Summer Intern Program is now in its third year, offering female university students in their penultimate year of Maths, Engineering or Physics degrees to experience a career on the trading floor.

The programs come as part of NAB's equality agenda, which aims to improve representation of women at senior levels in the organisation, and to encourage young females to pursue a career in global markets.

'As a business, we believe that if we fundamentally change the culture of business to be more inclusive, we will be in the best possible position to secure Australia's long-term global competitiveness,' said Ms Birchall.

About NAB FICCNAB's Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities (FICC) team utilises its sales, trading and research capabilities to support local and global clients across traded markets including fixed income, money markets, credit, derivatives, currencies and commodities.