UBS and Bloomberg Launch “Girls Take Finance” in 12 Cities Globally to Inspire Teenage Girls to Be the Next Generation of Leaders

UBS and Bloomberg announce the launch of “Girls Take Finance,” a global initiative that expands the 2019 “Girls Take” events to 12 cities worldwide. “Girls Take Finance” aims to inspire the next-generation of leaders by providing young women, aged 14-18, with insight into the financial services industry and career opportunities in business, finance and technology.

In 2020, UBS and Bloomberg will expand “Girls Take Finance” to major cities across the globe, including Frankfurt, Jakarta, Johannesburg, London, San Francisco, São Paulo, Sydney, and Zurich.

“As someone who started his career in financial services as an apprentice at age 15, I know first-hand how important encouragement is to making career choices,” said UBS Group CEO Sergio P. Ermotti. “That’s why I’m so delighted to expand the program this year. Together with Bloomberg, we can inspire hundreds of young women who otherwise might not have seriously considered pursuing careers in areas like finance, banking and technology.”

As with the previous “Girls Take” events, UBS and Bloomberg are partnering with local non-profits in each city to host on-site events at some of the world’s most iconic locations in business and finance. The full-day programming will include workshops focused on career growth and networking skills, panel discussions with industry experts, and motivational talks with volunteers about the variety of careers in financial services.

“Businesses that want to attract tomorrow’s brightest talent must do more to make careers in their industry accessible to more diverse groups at an earlier age,” said Peter T. Grauer, Chairman of Bloomberg LP and Founding Chairman of the U.S. 30% Club. “We’re glad to participate in ‘Girls Take Finance’ and are excited to expand the program’s footprint in its second year so that more young women can see a future for themselves in our industry, which is eager for their talent and perspective.”

The initiative builds on the success of the inaugural “Girls Take” events, which began March 2019 as “Girls Take Wall Street” in New York City, where UBS, Bloomberg and State Street Global Advisors convened more than 100 high school girls for a day of educational career mentorship. The day ended with the girls ringing The Closing Bell® at the New York Stock Exchange to commemorate the start of Women’s History Month.

In October 2019, UBS and Bloomberg took “Girls Take Wall Street” to India, hosting “Girls Take Dalal Street” in Mumbai and “Girls Take GIFT City” in Ahmedabad. Nearly 150 young women from colleges across Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad participated in the mentoring events. Students also had the opportunity to ring the Closing Bell at the Bombay Stock Exchange and visited the India International Exchange (INX), India’s first international stock exchange.

Additionally, UBS and Bloomberg have standalone initiatives that focus on helping young people advance their education and future careers.

UBS is committed to taking a leading role in driving change that matters in the world. Through strategic financial commitments and targeted employee volunteering to advance education, the firm is dedicated to empowering the next generation of young people. This is demonstrated through efforts across the firm’s Community Affairs programs, including The Bridge Academy in the UK, Keys To Your Future: College and Career Readiness in the US, YES (Young Enterprise Switzerland) in Switzerland and UBS Community Academies in APAC. A pioneer in social finance, the UBS Optimus Foundation takes a leading role in driving impactful philanthropy that delivers breakthrough solutions to social and environmental issues. UBS is also a founding partner of #TOGETHERBAND, a campaign with the Bottletop Foundation that aims to promote the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to achieve a more sustainable world by 2030. The #TOGETHERBAND campaign will launch SDG5, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in March to coincide with the initiative.

Bloomberg Startup, the company’s global philanthropic education engagement program, supports young women around the world by providing access to mentors, internships, and career-readiness workshops that expose students to diverse and influential women. Read more about how Bloomberg is advancing women: https://www.bloomberg.com/women.

Confirmed 2020 “Girls Take Finance” Non-Profit Partners:

Later in 2020, UBS and Bloomberg will also bring Girls Take Finance to Indonesia and India, hosting events in Jakarta, Mumbai and GIFT City.