The High School Project
Too few female students decide to head towards a career in the financial industry, resulting in an overrepresentation of men. As an example, in 2019, only 21.9% of management positions in major financial services companies were held by women. Therefore, our goal is to introduce greater social equity in access to higher education, especially concerning the selective branches of finance.
Our Objectives:
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Fight against self-censorship
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Broaden orientation perspectives of students
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Educate high school students about the main problematics of the finance
Action Plan:
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Intervene in high schools all over France by organizing sessions to inform, present, answer questions and do workshops, etc.
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Meeting up in Lyon
As part of EDHEC WinFin's actions to promote diversity and inclusion within the financial industry, we reached out to Madame Corneau, professor at La Martinière Duchère in Lyon, in a double curriculum combining a Bachelor in Economics and a preparatory class for selective business schools, to organize an information session.
The main objective of the session was to present the jobs in finance (both corporate finance, financial markets, audit,credit rating...), debunk myths about the financial industry, and give students tips to successfully land internships in finance. We have been surprised by the strong interest expressed by the students, even the ones that were not initially interested in finance. Throughout the session, we had many positive responses and objections that nurtured a discussion on the trends in finance and diversity.
Following the session, numerous students reached out to us to help them prepare their interviews for Masters in Finance and ask follow-up questions. We feel that our mission to inform about the professions and diversity issues was fulfilled.
We have been delighted to intervene in La Martinière Duchère and wish to establish a lasting bond for the coming years. We want to thank EDHEC Business School and Ms.Corneau for their trust and engagement.
“It was a pleasure to be able to do the presentation on-site and very rewarding to interact with the students.
We now wish to intervene in other high schools to expand our impact.” - Clara, WinFin Project Manager.
“What a revealing moment to share my passion for finance and diversity with such vibrant minds. Hope to have inspire students to join our fast-paced industry and help us tackle some of the most complex issues.” - Céline, WinFin President.
2. Cannes Gathering
On the 17th of May, the High School Project held another educational session for the French High School Stanislas located in Cannes. Two of our team members, Clara Gouvernayre and Mathilde Barreau, have introduced finance to more than 30 students. They were preparing themselves to enter into selective French Business Schools by attending preparatory classes in Stanislas.
Courtesy of Stanislas Highschool in Cannes
Firstly, they showcased to them the different jobs and actors of the financial sector. The primordial difference between corporate and market finance. Afterwards, the animators discussed the future of finance. They exchanged various statements on the surge of blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
Clara and Mathilde also heightened the audience awareness to the history of women in the industry, and how before 1967 women could not access the trading floor in Paris, and are still underrepresented for women only make up 12% of traders there. At last, they positively concluded on the improvements and commitments in terms of diversity inclusion taken by companies in recent years.
The conference ended with a Q&A session, enabling students to ask more detailed questions. A keen interest in green finance has been noted. Students wanted to understand concrete examples of green investment projects pursued by major banks.
We hope this conference has broadened the career perspectives of these incoming Business School students, and debunked some of the negative views they had on finance.
We thank the staff of Stanislas for trusting us in organizing this event. Equally, we would like to thank the students for their hearty welcome and participation.
The High School Project team is looking forward to fostering a long-lasting partnership with them and to keep on holding such events for the next generations of Stanislas’ students.