Home About Us

Gender equity means fair access to opportunities, resources, and the power to succeed and thrive.

VersaFi is growing our community of talented women and taking our advocacy efforts to a new level. Join us!

VISION:

Gender equity in the finance sector.

MISSION:

VersaFi champions a dynamic community where women and gender diverse individuals from all backgrounds and intersecting identities thrive, succeed and belong. We accelerate gender equity through industry-leading programs, actionable research and active partnerships with the sector.

Our Rebrand from Women in Capital Markets (WCM) to VersaFi

As we have grown and expanded, what has never wavered is our commitment to accelerating equity in finance for women.

We are deeply proud of our roots in Capital Markets, but recognize that the dynamics and complexity of the finance sector have evolved since we were founded in 1995. We’ve rebranded to become VersaFi – a nod to the diversity of members we serve in finance, from the sell side, to the buy side, fintech and those interacting with these disciplines.

Look for VersaFi to play an even bigger role in leading the gender equity conversation in the finance sector.

How we achieve our mission

Our community of 50 corporate partners and more than 4,000 individual professional and student members makes VersaFi the largest network of professionals in Canadian finance who have come together to advance equity for women in the finance sector. Together, we identify and address barriers to women’s advancement, share best practices and strategies for progress, and develop actionable policies and practices designed to advance gender equity.

Here’s a few ways we do this:

Increasing representation and retention of women from different backgrounds and identities at all job levels along the career path, with a particular focus on ensuring that women are retained in, and progress through, critical mid-career leadership roles on the way to senior leadership positions.
Helping to educate young women and gender-diverse students about the rewarding career opportunities in business and finance. Our high school, post-graduate and graduate programming inspires and empowers the next generation of leaders by offering students exposure into the world of finance.
Growing our community of talented women in finance across the country, providing important opportunities for professional networking and mentorship; and share best practices, research, and strategies for advancement and development.
Delivering exceptional programming, that includes professional development and networking opportunities to women at all stages of their careers.
Offering our renowned returnship program Return to Bay Street, designed to help relaunch and retain women in the finance industry.
Hosting a Job Board that provides access to scholarships and internships for students, and career opportunities for professional women.
Providing a Board-Ready Directory that profiles executive women eligible to sit on a number of Board of Directors, helping to increase diversity and the representation of women on Canadian boards.

Being the go-to resource for relevant, timely, and actionable research, insights and perspectives regarding gender equity in finance in Canada.
Being a sought after speaker and advocate for matters related to gender equity in the finance sector.
Being viewed as the go-to resource by sector employers when seeking to make structural and cultural changes related to gender equity.
Delivering comprehensive insights that empower informed decision-making. Discover our reports which reflect our commitment to comprehensive analysis and strategic insights in the realms of finance, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Providing the industry with insights and data to reflect the progress made in gender equality and highlight areas for improvement. Research results are coupled with actionable recommendations for firms and individuals. This is based on the outcomes of VersaFi-led research and partnered research initiatives.
Offering strategies to members and member firms for the advancement or development of their diversity and inclusion policies. This includes providing direct insights on how to build a more inclusive corporate culture.
Actively engaging with the media to bring gender diversity issues to the forefront of public dialogue.

As a trusted partner, gather, analyze and share aggregated data and best practices, for the benefit and progress of all. This includes the implementation of impactful and lasting structural and cultural changes.
Acting as a convenor of choice for matters related to the advancement of women and equity in finance.
Recognizing and celebrating credibly the contributions of those who are advancing the gender equity mission through VersaFi Awards.

Support our Mission

Become a VersaFi Member

A VersaFi membership has countless benefits. Interested in learning more? Let’s chat!

Engage with our Community

Take advantage of opportunities to network, grow your skills and advance your career through our programming and events

Action VersaFi Research and Reports

Our research and reports provide insights into challenges, opportunities and trends impacting women and gender-diverse professionals in finance.

Our Journey

Our 30 year history has been impactful, focused on changing the paradigm for women and gender-diverse professionals working in the finance sector.

Women in Capital Markets was founded by Roberta Ann Benson, Marianne Harris, Heather-Anne Irwin, Susanne Monteith, Constance Sugiyama and Ruth Woods.

Their goal was to change the paradigm for women by raising awareness around the inequities faced, and by demonstrating the importance of inclusion across the sector.

During the first decade of operations, WCM was a small, volunteer-run organization focused specifically on the Capital Markets sector. Presidents served mostly one-year terms, and worked with their peers and industry experts to create solutions for the acceleration of diversity through advocacy, research, programming and recruitment. The inaugural Champions of Change Gala was held in 2001.

WCM expanded and focused more on strategic outcomes through its Board and newly formed Advisory Council (2007). The team launched a Mentorship Program (1998) and launched the WCM Leadership Awards (2007). In 2010 the Return to Bay Street and Executive Leaders programs were established, followed by the Emerging Leaders Program in 2014.

WCM evolved to a large professionally-run national NFP, resulting in new programming and expansion of its partners and members. Regional Steering Committees were created, starting with Montreal in 2016, followed by Calgary, BC and Ontario. 2018 brought the Aspire and Elevate Programs and our Job Shadow Day events expanded to include Montreal (2019), Calgary and BC (2022). Our Research team developed industry-changing reports on topics like parental leave and psychological safety.

While our name has changed, our commitment to accelerating equity for women in finance is stronger than ever. Through innovative initiatives, strategic partnerships and ongoing support we will continue to empower women and drive meaningful change across the sector.

We’re deeply proud of our roots in Capital Markets, but recognize that the finance sector has evolved significantly since the organization was founded nearly 30 years ago. This new brand identity better reflects the diversity and complexity of the finance sector we serve, enabling us to grow our community and to double down on important advocacy efforts. It’s a bold step forward, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Our Team

Focused on driving gender equity in finance.

Our Steering Committees

Discover who we are and what we do!