The Future is Female: 6 of the Most Influential Women in Finance and Sustainability
By Nicole Schlichting
In Western society today, more women than ever are setting aside traditional gender roles in favor of the influence, prestige, and notoriety that come with holding a high power job in the finance or energy sphere. We at Grow found ourselves getting into the spirit of International Women’s Day (March 8th, in case you don’t know), so we figured we’d share with you some of our favorite women of influence in both finance and the sustainability world! All of these fab females have made a notable impact in their field, and they continue to inspire us with their pioneering strength and ferocity. Let’s begin:
1.Mellody Hobson: A graduate of Princeton and native of Chicago, Mellody Hobson went from being an intern to the president of Ariel Capital Management in only 10 years. She was one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people list in 2015 and appears regularly on CBS This Morning to discuss financial matters. But wait — there’s more: to top things off, Mellody is also the Chair of DreamWorks Animation Studio and is married to George Lucas. Could this woman be more awesome?!
2. Rochelle Routman: With over 30 years experience in sustainability and environmental issues, Chief Sustainability Officer of Metroflor and Halstead International Rochelle Routman (whew, that’s a mouthful) is a sustainability powerhouse. Among other projects, she’s leading a ‘Sustainability Council’ made up of employees from all over the company who want to help spread the word about the Living Building Challenge — Rochelle helped get hundreds of Metroflor and Halstead’s products declared through the Living Future Institute, meaning the ingredients were sustainable and environmentally friendly. You go girl!
3. Karen McDonald: A Connecticut native with 36 years of experience, Karen McDonald of Morgan Stanley is Barron’s 2014 #1 financial advisor and manages over $21.2 Billion in AUM, much of which is owned by clients named to the 100–500 Fortune lists. Though it might seem like she’s way cooler than the rest of us (and she probably is), she’s actually more relatable than you think: in one interview, she claimed, “I do a ton of yoga.” Yaaass Queen!! Do WORK!!
4.Arielle Bertman: As the Principal of Energy and Sustainability at Google (hi, Google News Lab), Arielle Bertman is blowing gender stereotypes out of the water, one investment at a time. Google is one of the most forward-thinking, environmentally progressive, and ESG-conscious companies in today’s day and age, and Arielle is at the forefront of this movement; among other accomplishments, she has “pioneered the emerging market solar initiative to bring accessible and affordable electricity to the world’s 1.2B unelectrified people” and “incubated and launched electricity access pilot in Kenya.” Oh, and did I mention she completed her first triathlon a couple years ago? Like a boss.
5. Susan Kaplan: Ranked the country’s #1 financial advisor by Barron’s 2013 survey, Susan Kaplan of Kaplan Financial Services is New England based advisor who manages over $1.4 Billion in AUM — she’s a bit of a local celebrity in Massachusetts, where she has made numerous appearances on TV, radio, and print for her financial prowess. Keep up the good work, Susan!
6. Hillary Clinton: wait, who? PSYCH. We all know Hillz as the fierce, fearless, pantsuit-wearing wonder who took on The Donald in 2016’s presidential election, but if you were paying attention during any of those debates (it was difficult, I know), you would know that Hillary has also been a major player in the recent environmental protection game! In her recent role as Secretary of State, she took strong stances on environmental issues (by proposing a $5B stimulus package for green jobs, for example) and assured America that she was, in fact, actively working to promote sustainability. Hillary has also called for the inclusion of more women in the environmental sphere, claiming that “corporations with women in leadership positions…are actually more focused on sustainability. It would be good for business and good for results if those doors were opened.” Preach. Hillary Clinton is the ultimate example of how intelligent, tenacious, and passionate women can truly affect change in the world and, though the outcome of the election was not ideal, we know we haven’t seen the last of her. Keep on keepin’ on, Hillz!
Well I don’t know about you guys, but I feel inspired…
These incredible, driven women are changing the faces of both the financial and sustainability sphere and trailblazing the path for the equally incredible, driven women who are bound to follow suit. Happy International Women’s Day, everybody!
Team Grow wants to give thanks and tremendous recognition to the women out there who keep this world spinning. #InternationalWomensDay
Sources:
- http://www.investopedia.com/articles/financial-advisors/011416/6-famous-female-financial-advisors.asp
- http://gbdmagazine.com/2014/30-women-in-sustainability/
- http://www.floordaily.net/flooring-news/metroflor-names-first-chief-sustainability-officer
- http://www.ontheissues.org/2016/Hillary_Clinton_Environment.htm
- http://www.barrons.com/articles/top-100-women-financial-advisors-1402116461
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariellebertman/
