On February 21, 100 Women in Finance ("100WF") Global Ambassador HRH The Countess of Wessex attended the 100WF Inaugural Cayman First Impressions Dinner, as part of her visit to the Cayman Islands.
100WF GirlForce100 mentees, local female students and their role models heard from a panel of inspiring female finance professionals and met with HRH The Countess of Wessex and senior industry leaders over dinner at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
The first of its kind for the Cayman Islands location, 100WF First Impressions Dinners are within the scope of 100WF's Investing in the Next Generation Initiative to reach, inspire, and support pre- and early-career young women who are the finance industry's leadership pipeline.
By providing female students with opportunities like this to engage with women in varied roles and levels of seniority in financial services, they gain invaluable insight into the different career opportunities and pathways within the industry and are encouraged to forge their own careers in finance.
To kick-off the interactive evening, a panel of female rising stars shared insights about their jobs and career paths, and students were encouraged to ask questions during the roundtable sessions that followed. The format gives mid-level female professionals increased visibility in front of their peers and senior executives, including their clients, in the finance industry, and opportunities to use their experience to 'pay it forward' to the next generation.
As part of her role as 100WF Global Ambassador, HRH The Countess of Wessex serves as an advocate for raising the industry's visibility and appeal as young women consider career paths. She has participated in 100WF events around the world to help cultivate interest and engagement from the next generation of women entering the industry.
By increasing the female talent considering the finance industry, raising the visibility of women at different stages of their careers, and showcasing their experiences, 100WF is increasing the female leadership pipeline and helping to inform companies on how to retain female talent.
The 100WF Inaugural Cayman First Impressions Dinner was kindly supported by Baraud International and Travers Thorp Alberga. Learn more about 100WF and upcoming 100WF Cayman events by visiting 100women.org.