One of our Standing Committee members, Marisa Hall, provides the industry case for Investment20/20
Marisa Hall, Co-Head of the Thinking Ahead Institute, Willis Towers Watson
Lest we forget
We live in turbulent times. The killing of George Floyd and resultant protests around social and racial injustice have awakened our society to the fact that, for many black people, the world does not yet feel equal. While we may all be entitled to inalienable human rights such as fairness, equality and respect, “it is the insistence that these rights, while self-evident, have never been self-executing” (Obama, 2017). Black History Month reminds us that the values of equality and justice that we hold to as a society still need to be fought for.
It is tempting and easy to believe that some of the injustices black people face are only noteworthy for history books, but for many in this country the challenges remain real and the statistics are sobering. In the 2019 publication by the IA and #TalkAboutBlack: Black voices – building black representation in investment management, we are reminded that black people in our society are less likely to be employed, are paid less even with similar qualifications, and are less likely to be in leadership positions – in our industry, less than 1% of fund managers are black.
And this is why the vision of Investment20/20 - to drive a forward-thinking, responsible and inclusive investment industry where firms hire aspiring young people with the potential to succeed, regardless of where they come from - is so crucial. It is fantastic to work alongside so many others in the standing committee who have a genuine desire to drive positive change in our industry. It is part of Investment20/20’s DNA, part of its culture: to be a positive disruptor for talent development in our industry. And we sorely need it.
Nobel peace prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, reminds us: “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together”. It is in these words that I find hope. Black history is everyone’s history. It is a crucial part of our nations’ story. We must never forget the significant contributions that have been made by black people in building this society; not just as a singular note in history, but as a living, breathing reminder of our shared humanity.
