The flagship initiative that came out of the 2013 research commissioned by WiBF and the Australian Financial Markets Association (AFMA) was the WiBF CEO Forum. Addressing the perceived lack of flexibility and non-inclusive culture, the CEO Forum was designed to bring together high performing undergraduate students in finance and economics with senior leaders in the finance sector. The candidates were coached over a period of three months, culminating in a boardroom luncheon with the senior finance leaders. The WiBF CEO Forum ran from 2014 to 2017, and its biggest pipeline success factor was the conversion rate of students who were not considering roles in the banking and finance sector, to eventually taking on graduate positions in the industry.
WiBF partnered with universities across New South Wales, Victoria and ACT, who nominated up to two high performing pen-ultimate year students studying finance and economics. The candidates selected by WiBF were then partnered with executives in the industry who coached them on senior executive stakeholder management, helped the candidates build strategic networks, provided them with interview tips and expertise based on their own experiences in the industry. At the end of the three month period, the candidates were brought together as a cohort for a group coaching session, followed by a boardroom luncheon with high profile senior leaders in the banking and finance sector.
The overall objective of the WiBF CEO Forum was to increase the talent pipeline into the banking and finance sector and provide opportunities for both students and the industry to connect in a meaningful way.
The candidates also gained visibility to senior finance leader that they would otherwise typically not have access to. The coaching sessions by executives in the industry help the candidate build their strategic networks and contacts before they have commenced their careers.
Type on the line above then press the Enter/Return key to submit a new search query