SEO LONDON ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH MOODY'S CORPORATION

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO London) is pleased to announce that Moody’s Corporation will be an official sponsor of SEO London’s HerCapital programme. The 2022 HerCapital programme is a leadership initiative that will support 165 women in the UK, Belgium, and Germany, and will be the largest and the first international cohort since its launch in 2017.

As part of the programme, Moody’s will offer skills-based training to upskill SEO London associates, specifically for the financial industry market, and will help build the vital confidence needed to succeed in securing work-related opportunities.

Jennifer Rivera, SVP and global head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Moody’s says: “HerCapital is increasing representation in the financial services sector by creating greater opportunity for high-potential university students from diverse ethnic, minority and socioeconomic backgrounds. These goals fervently align with Moody’s longstanding commitments to help young people reach their potential by empowering them with greater financial knowledge, and we are proud to support the campaign's expansion into continental Europe.”

Thanks to Moody’s commitment, SEO London has been able to expand HerCapital for the first time into continental Europe, supporting 17 female students from Belgian universities and 27 from German universities, on top of the 121 students from the United Kingdom.

SEO London founder and chief executive Andrew Fairbairn comments: “It is a sincere pleasure having Moody’s on board as a HerCapital programme sponsor for the 2022 programme. This says a lot about their commitment to see an increase in female leadership within the financial services industry. Incorporating female students from Belgium and Germany is also a great opportunity to expand our activities in Europe and empower females globally with a new set of skills and horizons brought by HerCapital.”

SEO London’s HerCapital is a six-month leadership development programme for talented female undergraduate students, aimed at closing the confidence gap and transforming diversity in the financial services industry. The programme empowers students through training, mentoring and workshops, which all aim to develop their leadership skills. It brings authentic exposure to the financial services industry, challenges the participants, and helps them to adopt a growth mindset.

It seeks to broaden the pool of female talent considering the financial services industry as a career option. It was introduced following the launch of the Women in Finance Charter, an initiative by HM Treasury in 2016 that pursues to increase the representation of women in the financial services sector across all levels.

HerCapital programme has received overwhelming positive feedback since its insertion: year on year over 90% of the HerCapital cohorts noticed a positive change in their confidence levels and 74% of the 2020 HerCapital associates secured career-enriching opportunities at firms in the form of summer internships and industrial placements.

Janete Pomacal, one of the 2020 associates who secured a summer internship at Royal London Asset Management commented: “Being part of the HerCapital programme in 2020 was an enriching experience. Through the programme, I got more insight into several sectors, and I was able to improve skills such as communication, teamwork, and leadership during its weekly challenges and ongoing activities. I am still in touch with the other HerCapital associates, and we share opportunities with each other. The connections I made during the program helped me secure a summer internship and get experience in a new field. I would definitely recommend it to everyone.”

Since its launch in 2017, SEO London has supported 243 HerCapital associates (84% from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds; 43% from low social mobility-qualifying backgrounds). 

This year HerCapital is also supported by Citi, Royal London Asset Management, Allianz Global Investors, Bloomberg, BLME, RVU, Abrdn. In past years it has also been supported by Lazard, CFA UK and LSEG.