Derville Rowland, Deputy Governor, Consumer and Investor Protection at the Central Bank of Ireland, has joined a Walkers' International Women's Day event in Dublin focused on the theme of "Embrace Equity" – as the Central Bank launches its seventh annual report on demographics and diversity within the regulated financial services industry in Ireland.
The lunch event today at No. 25 Fitzwilliam Place saw the Deputy Governor speak to members of the industry and related sectors about the importance of diversity and inclusion within firms as part of Walkers’ international programme of events around International Women's Day.
In her published remarks, Derville Rowland emphasised the importance of senior leaders driving positive change and said it was in firms’ own best interests to do so.
She said: "We want the firms we regulate to be sufficiently diverse and inclusive, at all levels and particularly at senior level, to prevent group-think, guard against overconfidence, and promote internal challenge.”
Walkers partner and co-chair of the Finance and Capital Markets Group, Noeleen Ruddy, said that the message of "Embrace Equity" was one that resonated with Walkers and its culture.
"Equality is the goal, and equity is the means to get there," said Noeleen. "We're excited to launch our Women of Walkers network globally across our 10 offices this week which aims to build an even stronger community within the firm to attract, retain and promote women, support them through all the stages of their careers and promote social inclusion."
Walkers partner Nicholas Blake-Knox, who chairs the firm's Global Diversity and Inclusion Committee and its Irish Asset Management & Investment Funds Group, said:
"At Walkers we recognise that we have a responsibility to each other as colleagues to foster a culture in our global offices that values and celebrates our differences and individuality.
"We are particularly pleased to have been joined by Derville today, given her track record of championing diversity and inclusion in the Central Bank of Ireland and as a key figure in one of our most important financial institutions."
To find out more about Walkers' Diversity & Inclusion initiatives, visit: https://www.walkersglobal.com/index.php/about-walkers/diversity-inclusion.