After spending six years recruiting for some of the most successful and innovative hedge funds, trading desks, and money managers in the world, I wanted to write about a topic that has been at the forefront of client’s inquiries over the past couple of years now. It’s a topic that I believe reflects innovation and consolidation in the front office, and how different human ca...

​Only 9.9% of the STEM employees are women of color. Does artificial intelligence (AI) hold the key to creating a fair and representative workforce in financial services? This guide explores how AI is currently being applied throughout the recruitment process as part of a diverse hiring strategy. Download to discover:•The reasons behind implicit and explicit hiring biases•Ho...

The majority of leaders within financial services say diversity is a business priority – 90% of CEOs say it is their most important one according to McKinsey & Company. Yet little progress has been made in recent years and women, particularly women of color, remain underrepresented at the top. In this article, we explore the current ‘state of the union’ for women of colo...

The quants gender divideA lack of females in the financial industry has long been an issue, and the quantitative finance sector is no stranger to this. In fact, quantitative finance is rated as one of the top-three financial sectors with the least amount of female representation at just 21%; behind Trading and IT.In fact, the number of women working in computer science relat...

In 2008, so-called ‘robo-advisers’ launched to the general public to enable clients to manage their assets personally in the midst of the global financial crisis. Online investment company, Betterment, launched in the same year and popularized this innovative use of artificial intelligence. Ten years on, and the financial industry is just beginning to consider the full poten...

The business case for gender diversity is stronger than ever, but many companies are struggling to ensure women are fairly represented in top management. The data from 50 of the world’s biggest banks, insurers, asset managers and professional services firms showed that despite being the majority of junior staff, only a quarter (26%) of senior roles were occupied by women. In...

Looking back the 2019 year, it is safe to say that the economy and hiring trends across the financial services sector went through a bit of a roller coaster. Kicking off 2019, we were faced with looming fears of an economic downturn that led to most top tier financial institutions putting the brakes on hiring across Q1 and Q2. As the economy rallied in the second half of the...

This year saw the 21st century in its final throws of adolescence. A government shutdown, low unemployment, record stock market highs, and continuing trade wars all played a role in shaping 2019’s financial markets and economy. In a world of 24 hour news, recounting what happened yesterday, let alone at the beginning of the year, can be a challenge. The final year of the dec...

​September 2018 saw the tenth anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers - often portrayed in popular culture as the high profile starting pistol for the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC). During the aftermath, banking and financial services were put under intense scrutiny and continue to be subject to incredible levels of political intervention, commentary, enhanced re...

​As the UK careens towards Brexit, a growing list of European cities are battling it out to usurp The City of London as the continent’s next financial hub. Tempered by the uncertainty a potential ‘no deal’ brings, financial institutions are already charting their departure from the English capital.What cities could replace London?Potential suitors lining up to succeed London...

​A decade ago, External Asset Managers (EAMs) were virtually unknown in Asia, despite being well established in Europe and the USA. Now the sector is rapidly expanding, Hong Kong and Singapore have a total of 160 independent asset management firms, and collectively manage US$91.5 billion in private wealth as of 2017. Traditionally, investors in Hong Kong, Singapore and the ...

​With a strong move into Q4, unemployment at a record breaking low, and exciting new changes coming to the market our team wanted to feature a few trends we are seeing develop in the market.  We have outlined several of the largest changes most employers have been facing and a bit of outlook on the best way to take them in stride. From exam schedules to increased regulation ...

​Key Developments So FarSell-SideAs buy-side institutions, and the industry at large, continue to become more quantitative, Investment Banks have been increasingly investing in quantitative support within existing business lines which may or may not have had a direct quant team in the past. Specifically, this was seen across a number of European Investment Banks who invested...

​One clear trend emerges in the insurance industry — Artificial Intelligence has arrived. You may have already seen evidence of this such as algorithms in the actuarial back office all the way to chatbots for claims resolution. The AI disruption can be good for talent in this sector, as those who embrace these tools can stand out among the sea of competitors.Using AI to Incr...

​After an extremely turbulent end to 2018, credit market investors more than ever in recent memory seem to be taking a hard look at their strategic plans. Stocked with piles of fresh capital but struggling to generate deals with sufficient yield potential across familiar strategies, our clients have generally sought to broaden their mandates, and are seeking new talent to me...

​A recent speech by Danièle Nouy, president of the Single Supervisory Mechanism of the European Central Bank (ECB), estimates at least 30 financial institutions have applied for new licenses to relocate to Frankfurt. Although the city may not quite compare to London, it’s quickly becoming one of top financial hubs in Europe.Financial marketing group Frankfurt Main Finance al...

​Because of 2018’s success in the investment banking market — an overall bullish market and record-high transactions and deals — there seems to be a significant shortage for top quality talent. As the unemployment rate keeps hovering at 3.8%, 2019 is shaping up to be a time where the struggle for talent will continue to be a priority for the entire financial sector. Pur...

​With the end of the year rapidly approaching, we are all looking towards 2019 for ways that we can grow and be better in the New Year, and the same goes for Fintech Sales teams looking to grow their headcount.Ensuring you make the right hire for your team can have a significant impact on the bottom line of the business. According to research from Parker & Lynch, the U....

Europe’s Financial Hubs: Paris a Contender for London’s Top Spot? Most agree that London is Europe’s No.1 banking and financial services hub, and is likely to remain so even after Brexit. However, Paris is emerging as a serious contender, with several major global banks and asset managers deciding to relocate their sales and trading operations there in recent months. We ...

Zahra Husain has over ten years’ experience working in leveraged finance and is the co-founder of Humans in Finance, alongside her brother Asad Husain and friend Sarah Laitung. They champion professionals working in Financial Services “that are committed to a better society and world.”​Zahra was kind enough to moderate our event, Driving Diversity and the Bottom Line, in par...