Female Fund Directors Graduate

The Fund Directors Course held recently at Hassans came to an end earlier this week, with a certificate presentation ceremony for all participants. The 10-week course aimed to increase female representation at board level in Gibraltar and was organised on a pro bono basis jointly by Hassans and Rock Learning.

Women are vastly under-represented at this level, yet it has been shown that greater diversity on boards leads to better decisions and results in better outcomes and greater profits for the company.

Funds Expert and Course Leader, James Lasry, remarked:

“Following an event to celebrate International Women’s Day earlier this year, I wanted to do something practical about gender equality. Having been involved in the local Funds industry for over 20 years, and having recently completed the Certified Investment Fund Director (CIFD) course, I worked with Jo Abergel of Rock Learning to put together a course covering all the main elements of which board directors need to be aware.”

The 12 participants came from a variety of backgrounds and covered topics including the different funds regimes in Gibraltar, Directors’ Duties, Regulation, Custody, Board Dynamics, the role of the Transfer Agency and Crypto Funds.

Jo Abergel, Rock Learning, added:

 “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is key to any company and I was delighted to work with James Lasry to develop this course. Gender diversity increases corporate board effectiveness and we both wanted to encourage more women to understand the main elements of a fund director’s responsibilities so they would have the confidence and skills to apply for these roles when they arise”.

Each week looked at a different theme and several guest speakers (including some of the course participants) delivered their topic of expertise. Participants additionally completed a Personal Statement and a Course Journal, where they highlighted their learning and were encouraged to challenge any points with which they disagreed. Certificates were awarded to all delegates.

This was the first time a Funds course had been devised specifically according to local legislation and guidelines. It is hoped to develop the programme to open it out to a wider audience.

Warm congratulations to Jo Abergel, Meera Aswani, Rachel Bitan, Jeanine Brink Charvetto, Abigail Cornelio, Caroline Lane, Lesley Louise, Anju Mahbubahni, Ayelet Mamo Shay, Kirsty Neale, Tania Rahmany and Pallavi Reddy.