BMO recently unveiled a Women in Leadership fund, which tracks companies with a female CEO and/or with women making up 25% of board members.
According to Julie Barker-Merz, President and Head of Wealth Direct investing at BMO, the fund is the first of its kind in Canada by a major bank and isn’t a diversity or a “social impact” play. It’s a product designed to fully perform in the marketplace, and outperform the index.
To hear more about the fund and the reasons behind its inception, watch the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzOLSZop8sw
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was the BMO Women in Leadership fund announced in 2016?
In 2016 BMO unveiled a Women in Leadership fund that tracks companies with a female CEO and/or companies where women make up 25 per cent of board members.
What criteria did a company need to meet to be tracked by the BMO fund?
A company qualified if it had a female chief executive, or if women made up 25 per cent of its board members, or both.
Was the BMO Women in Leadership fund the first of its kind?
According to Julie Barker-Merz of BMO, the fund was the first of its kind in Canada to be launched by a major bank.
Was the fund intended as a diversity or social impact product?
No. Julie Barker-Merz said the fund was not a diversity or social impact play, but a product designed to fully perform in the marketplace and outperform the index.
Who explained the reasoning behind the BMO fund?
Julie Barker-Merz, President and Head of Wealth Direct investing at BMO, described the fund and the reasons behind its creation in a video interview published in July 2016.