Spotlight on Head of Consultant Relations, Kristen Fontaine
International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate our team, empower others and share some of the stories that make our women successful. Kristen Fontaine shares her views on the path to achieving equality and change, as well as one key investment theme for the year ahead.
IWD is a celebration of how far we have come, and an acknowledgement of how far we still have to go. I have been fortunate to have had great mentors over the years who have encouraged me in personal growth, as well as career development. These mentors have inspired me through their leadership and their humbleness. They have supported my ambitions, celebrated my successes, and guided me to learn from my failures. It is through their example that I strive to mentor others in my field, hoping to share the wisdom that has been passed on to me.
Working in a historically male-dominated industry, the unconscious bias to treat women differently in the workplace is an ongoing challenge, but one I believe we can overcome. Awareness and acknowledgement of any bias is on each of us and, through personal reflection, and open dialogue with each other, we can create the building blocks for driving positive change.
“Looking to the year ahead, my firm has put an emphasis on investing time and resources into women-led small and emerging investment managers. We believe there is great opportunity in this space, and it is an area that is historically underrepresented.”