VersaFi in the news

From: Department of Finance Canada News release June 24, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Finance Canada Today, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, announced the appointment of Tanya van Biesen to the Board of Directors of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC) for a 4-year term.  Quick facts Related […]

Tanya van Biesen, who in January was named president and CEO of what is now known as VersaFi, wants the rebranded organization to have a bigger voice as it promotes inclusion in the finance sector.

Women in Capital Markets, a leading organization for promoting and advancing women’s careers on Bay Street, is rebranding after nearly three decades to become VersaFi – a nod to a broader mandate beyond traditional finance.

Empowering women requires shifting the lens from women to dominant systems, cultural norms, and institutional frameworks. Empowering women in leadership and finance should not be a mere aspiration; it should be an imperative to reconfigure systems that perpetuate barriers and fail to hold organizations accountable for lack of progress. The onus can no longer be on women to individually – and collectively – shoulder the fight for gender equity.

Much has been written about Barbie’s brilliant, brightly-coloured takedown of the patriarchy since it arrived in theaters in late July. Greta Gerwig’s live-action film based on the iconic doll has received equal measure of praise and backlash for its feminist agenda, which cleverly points out the pitfalls of the “real world,” where women must “always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong,” as America Ferrera’s character delivers in her now-viral monologue.

Nearly two dozen financial institutions, including several advisory firms, have signed Women in Capital Markets’ parental leave pledge.

For any professional, it’s tough to climb the corporate ladder. And for women who get sidetracked from their careers, the ascent is even tougher.

International Women’s Day is upon us, and with it, recognition of both how far we’ve come and of the work that remains. This year’s theme is “Embracing Equity” —highly relevant as many organizations continue their drive towards diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s encouraging that this March, so many organizations have adopted – and continue to adopt – measures that have the direct aim of reducing inequities and improving women’s inclusion.