Advisor Circle, a product and content studio for the financial services industry, is pleased to announce the latest slate of powerhouse speakers for the inaugural Future Proof Festival. Further amplifying the recently announced Changing Faces of Wealth initiative, Future Proof aims to promote an environment of equity and inclusion by providing a platform for female financial professionals to share their expertise and build community.
Less than one quarter of leadership positions in financial services are held by women, according to Deloitte. Together and as individuals, the women invited to speak at Future Proof have broken down barriers to enable those who follow in their footsteps to succeed and are committed to inspiring more women to become leaders across the industry.
“During a recent commemoration of International Women’s Day, it was promising to see we are pursuing progress in bringing more women into the industry,” said Renee Baker, DBA, Head of PCG Advisor Inclusion Networks at Raymond James. “While it’s crucial to celebrate the progress that has been made, we still have so much more to do to increase representation and achieve equity in the workplace for women. I’m honored to be among so many phenomenal women leaders at the Future Proof Festival who continually strive to disrupt the status quo, break down biases, and usher in opportunities for the next generation of women — we are stronger together.”
In her role at Raymond James, Dr. Baker provides corporate support and leadership for the Women Financial Advisors Network, Black Financial Advisors Network, and Pride Financial Advisors Network. She focuses on the recruitment, retention, and advancement of diverse financial advisors.
Katherine Jollon Colsher, President and CEO of Girls Who Invest, offers two fully subsidized investment/asset management education programs to students currently attending or transferring to a four-year American college. The mission of Girls Who Invest is to measurably increase the number of women in portfolio management and executive leadership in the industry. Jollon Colsher also currently serves on the board of the Center for American Entrepreneurship.
Holly Mazzocca, CFP®, is the President at Bartlett Wealth Management in Cincinnati, and led a recent initiative to create a program of services and events for women called WEinvest™ (Women Empowered to Invest). The program’s focus is allowing women to be heard and understood as they are empowered to take control of their financial future.
In addition to her work as an investment advisor at Ritholtz Wealth Management, Blair duQuesnay, CFP®, writes about personal finance and issues pertaining to women on her blog The Belle Curve. duQuesnay is also the author of the viral January 2019 New York Times opinion piece, “Consider Firing Your Male Broker.”
Christine Benz, Director of Personal Finance and Retirement Planning at Morningstar, was named to Barron’s “10 Most Influential Women in Wealth Management” list in 2021. Benz is also a board member of the John C. Bogle Center for Financial Literacy and works with underprivileged women to improve their financial wellness.
In addition to the women leaders listed above, Future Proof is honored to have the following esteemed list of exceptional speakers join us this September:
- Daisy Auger-Dominquez, Chief People Officer, Vice Media Group
- Emily Binder, Founder, WealthVoice
- Soraya Darabi, Co-Founder and General Partner, TMV
- Rianka R. Dorsainvil, CFP®, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of 2050 Wealth Partners
- Dani Fava, Head of Strategic Development, Envestnet
- Sandra Gabriel, Founder and Chief Relationship Officer at Gabriel PR
- Annie Jean-Baptiste, Founder of Equity Army
- Rachel Robasciotti, Founder of Robasciotti & Philipson; Founder of Adasina Social Capital
- Samantha Russell, Chief Evangelist, FMG Suite and Twenty Over Ten
- Kyla Scanlon, Founder and Creator, Bread
- Suzanne Siracuse, Founder and CEO of Suzanne Siracuse Consulting
- Bryn Talkington, Managing Partner, Requisite Capital Management
- Brenda Vingiello, Chief Investment Officer at Sand Hill Global Advisors.
“I am so inspired by the work our speakers have done to increase gender diversity in financial services and to encourage and empower all men and women industry-wide to join the movement,” said Matt Middleton, CEO of Advisor Circle. “Future Proof is about bringing the brightest minds together to share their financial knowledge in a dynamic way so that attendees feel empowered by what they experience.”
For more information about this year’s inaugural Future Proof Festival and how to get involved with the event at the intersection of money, tech, culture and impact, visit futureproof.advisorcircle.com.