On March 16th, FCS hosted a panel of powerful women in financial services over lunch with 100+ guests. The topic, “The New Wisdom of Wealth and Women” focused not on why financial services must serve women better (as that has been proven over and over) but rather on how financial firms are working hard to attract, engage, and retain women.

Kristi Faulkner, president of Womenkind, presented some astounding statistics on women’s wealth accumulation and articulated the still unmet needs of women as consumers and investors.

Karen Cahn, founder and CEO of iFundWomen spoke about the woman entrepreneur’s need for access to capital and why it’s critical that financial institutions support women with funding, financial instruments, and advice.

Claire Burns, Chief Customer Officer of MetLife, spoke about the trust barrier in financial services and how important it is to get women on your side. She also highlighted the importance of understanding cultural norms and leveraging local insights into customer service and marketing messages.  

Allison Engle, Director of Women’s Market Strategy at Northwestern Mutual, emphasized that the act of building trust begins with creating experiences for women that match the brand’s promise to them. 

Dorinda Walker, Vice President of Consumer Strategy at Prudential, explained Prudential’s commitment to going to where women are and meeting them there. She stated that her firm is committed to using technology to better meet the demands of today’s consumers.

The panel moderator Carmen Rita Wong has deep financial market acumen and brought her own insights to bear, including many observations about the importance of continuing to bring more sophisticated financial education to the table given the more complex financial decisions facing women in today’s environment.

Photos and tweets can be found on Twitter at #FCSwomen on March 16, 2017.