An international network for women in capital markets
The ICMA Women’s Network (IWN) provides a global, impartial and open forum to encourage, support and inspire women at all stages of their career and to further the aim of gender equality within the bond markets.
Through a combination of live events and online content, the IWN delivers practical workshops focused on skills for career progression and hosts discussions on relevant issues between influential industry stakeholders. Networking is central to the offering, supporting links between colleagues of different generations and levels of seniority, helping to foster inclusion throughout the industry.
The IWN supports gender equality at a global level: all employees of ICMA member firms are welcome to join, and international connectivity is achieved through active IWN committees operating worldwide. The IWN also actively welcomes participation from all genders and ethnicities, acknowledging that broad participation is essential in achieving positive, sustainable change.
International Steering Committee spotlight
Highlighting the profiles of the International Steering Committee members
Susana de Pablo
Meet Susana de Pablo, Spain’s representative for the ICMA Women’s Network.
Susana is the Head of Loan Syndicate for EMEA & Asia, focusing on the underwriting and distribution activity of both corporate and structured finance transactions in the EMEA region. Susana is a professional with over 20 years’ experience in Corporate & Investment Banking.
She joined BBVA in 2006 as part of the Fixed Income- Loan sales desk, focusing on the underwriting, sales, and trading activity for corporate, leverage and structured finance transactions. Prior to joining BBVA, Susana worked for Commerzbank in Frankfurt and Madrid as a Director in the Syndicated Loans department focusing on the origination of corporate loans and Project Finance transactions.
We asked Susana about the insights that she has picked up over the course of her career.
ICMA: What’s the greatest enabler for gender equality?
SdP: I think it’s very important that all discussions around diversity and inclusion are based on data; otherwise, everyone gets lost in passionate but useless rhetoric. A key enabler for gender equality is giving public transparency to gender equality data. This transparency includes public reporting on the percentage of women in management positions, gender gap breakdowns, percentage of women involved in the hiring process, etc.... The firms who are transparent about their data are those who are more committed to make change and incorporate effective measures to address any inequality.
ICMA: What’s your biggest passion outside of work, and why?
SdP: Family, travelling and books; all of it combined makes the perfect time-out.
ICMA: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
SdP: Lean in when sitting around a table in a meeting room.
ICMA: What’s the future for women in 3 words?
SdP: Skilled, mobile and tech-savvy.
Event spotlight
Highlighting events from the IWN’s vast archive
Julia Hoggett
Drawing on her own experiences working in a number of high-profile roles in both the private and public sector, Julia Hoggett (CEO of the London Stock Exchange and former Head of Wholesale Banking, Supervision Division, FCA), shared her views at Nomura in 2016 on the visibility and role of women in financial services, the importance of recognising the contribution made by women and how firms can develop a culture in which women can succeed and fulfil their potential.
The Women in Finance CharterICMA’s commitment to gender balance |
Monday MotivationJoin IWN on LinkedIn to follow the Monday Motivation series |
Further reading
- Read the latest IWN newsletter and sign up to receive the next one
- Read ICMA's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Framework
- Read also Diversity, equity and inclusion at ICMA by Katie Kelly
- Explore ICMA's education and training opportunities
Get in touch
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Join our mailing list |  |
E-mail us at ICMAWomensNetwork@icmagroup.org |
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Follow the ICMA Women's Network LinkedIn page |  |
Follow ICMA Women's Network@ICMAWomensNet |
Upcoming events
ICMA Women's Network: Security, sustainability and inclusive recovery
Date: 13 June 2023
Time: 14:30 - 18:30 EEST
Location: Nordic Investment Bank, Fabianinkatu 34, Helsinki / Virtual
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Overview
Join the ICMA Women’s Network Nordic region, for an event in Helsinki where experts will discuss the nexus between security, sustainability and the rebuilding of war-torn countries.
Hanna Smith, Senior Strategic Advisor to the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, will deliver a keynote on the current security environment in Europe. Following this, our panel of industry and market experts will discuss how sustainable finance is keeping pace amid turbulent financial and geopolitical climates. To conclude, Antti Kuronen, foreign news correspondent at the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle, will discuss the current situation in Ukraine, and the challenge of rebuilding through the lens of the economy, infrastructure and human capital.
Please join us after the formal proceedings for a networking reception.
Virtual attendance via livestream is available.
Admission: This event is free to attend both in person and via livestream. This event is open to ICMA members and invited guests. Register now.
Check if you work for an ICMA member firm here.
Registration will close at 17:00 EEST on 5 June 2023.
If you have any questions, please contact ICMA events.
Past events
The Generation Game
This event, hosted by Ashurst in London in 2023, comprised a keynote presentation from Victoria McLean of City CV, on practical solutions for the five biggest challenges that all generations face in their careers, from imposter syndrome to personal branding and beyond. Following this keynote, industry speakers considered how the workplace has changed over the generations, by reference to lived experiences of women and men. They discussed whether enough progress has been made in terms of workplace gender equality and specifically, how to ensure there are more women on boards, and how to smash gender and cultural taboos, such as menopause and menstruation. The panel also highlighted the importance of ensuring that younger generations – including our sons and daughters – are aligning with the gender equality agenda.
Challenges for the future: value proposition for attracting diversity and young talent in the financial and technological sector
This 2023 event, hosted by Insituto de Crédito Oficial in Madrid, featured speakers from the financial and technology industries (including Google, Eniax, eBay, BBVA and Santander) discussing the role of diversity in establishing best practice and value for the future of those industries.
Diversity and inclusion in a multi-cultural environment
Financial markets have ever been multicultural, multilingual and intergenerational, but our professional interactions have multiplied the opportunities to be confronted with practices whose social acceptability could differ. In this event hosted by Moody’s in Paris in 2022, the panel addressed how misunderstandings can arise when what may be considered appropriate behaviour for one culture is inappropriate for another, leading to misinterpretation, misunderstanding or even unintentional insult.
Speaker Spotlight: An audience with Clare Cole
Clare Cole of the UK FCA gave a powerful keynote at Allen & Overy in 2022 on the FCA’s efforts on diversity & inclusion, with a strong focus on neurodiversity, social mobility and educational diversity, including by reference to her own career experiences.
Tackling obstacles in women’s careers
This French webinar in 2021 focused on the role of the spouse in women's careers; reconciling motherhood and career progression and ensuring a salary equivalent to men for identical responsibilities. Tips and tricks to help women who want to climb the corporate ladder were shared in a roundtable which also discussed whether companies have developed a real inclusion strategy, and the effects of the health crisis and remote working.
Speaker Spotlight: Connecting the generations - a conversation with Allegra Berman
A virtual inter-generational conversation in 2021 exploring how the challenges facing women in finance have changed over time, citing shifts in culture and expectations, the importance of adaptability and resilience, and what the future may hold as the different generations weather the storm together and prepare for what’s next.
Gender Lens Investing: A fresh perspective
At this event, hosted by White & Case in 2019, speakers from the asset management and investment industry gave their insights on a panel into how the diversity agenda is impacting investment strategy and business practices. They addressed how altering investor behaviour has the potential to effect meaningful change in the financial markets and discussed how this can drive forward diversity and inclusion in the economy.
Mental health in the city
This fireside chat hosted by Freshfields in 2019 focused on mental health in the challenging environment of financial markets, discussing the stigma which still exists around mental health in city workplaces, explaining the resources and support that are available and how to maintain mental wellbeing.
Sustainability: the perspective of influential women in the rapidly growing ESG market
This event held at HSBC in 2018 assembled a number of senior influential women in sustainable finance, those who provide thought leadership and are at the centre of innovation. They explored the impact of green bonds, social bonds, sustainable bonds and other innovative financing solutions on the finance industry and the workplace as a whole, as well as by reference to their own career paths.
Embracing change: future proofing your career with Fintech
Allen & Overy hosted this event in 2018. It set out to illuminate the world of FinTech, with a panel of female FinTech experts addressing questions such as: what does FinTech actually mean for the way debt capital markets will function in future? And what do we need to do now to position ourselves for career advantage in this exciting new environment? What are the barriers to entry to a FinTech-based career for women? Can we repurpose skills that we already have to be part of the revolution?
Challenging perceptions: Unconscious bias – how it affects networking & career progression
This event which took place at UniCredit in 2017 took a practical look at how unconscious bias may be subtly influencing our ability to make and maintain the contacts that we need to help us progress in our careers. Unconscious bias training has become a standard feature of workplace diversity programmes, but outside the formal office environment, is our tendency to make snap judgements based on stereotypes affecting the way we network?
Getting noticed – a masterclass in using social media to build your personal brand
Howard Kingston shared his expertise at this event hosted by EBRD in 2017 on social media, explaining the importance of building a truly representative personal brand, raising personal profile and increasing visibility among colleagues, peers and across the industry. Howard demonstrated how to navigate the world of professional social media to maximum effect, imparting practical tips to get started and equipping the audience with the tools to effectively build a personal brand by way of social networking, LinkedIn, blogging and creating content.
Negotiation skills for women
Negotiation is a tool which we all use every day, without even realising it. In this negotiation workshop held in Paris in 2017, Vincent François, former crisis and hostage negotiator, explained negotiation techniques to ensure we don’t become destabilised at the first step.
Bouncing back – developing resilience at work
Resilience is often cited as the key attribute of successful businesspeople, and it has never been more important than in the current market environment. At this event, held in the Barbican in 2016, professional resilience coach, psychologist and author Jane Clarke explained the importance of resilience in a professional context, how it can help one to handle difficult situations and setbacks and, most importantly, how to develop resilience.
Speaker Spotlight: Julia Hoggett
Drawing on her own experiences working in a number of high-profile roles in both the private and public sector, Julia Hoggett (CEO of the London Stock Exchange and former Head of Wholesale Banking, Supervision Division, FCA), shared her views at Nomura in 2016 on the visibility and role of women in financial services, the importance of recognising the contribution made by women and how firms can develop a culture in which women can succeed and fulfil their potential.
Impact coaching
This event, hosted by Barclays in 2015, focused on practical tips for getting yourself and your ideas noticed at work and for making a positive impact when interacting with colleagues and clients, all in the context of career development in capital markets. A panel discussion with senior industry figures drawing on their own experiences and successful strategies was followed by an interactive session with Impact Coach Esther Stanhope. Esther demonstrated how to ooze confidence and upgrade our communication skills, sharing practical tips on how to craft content for the right audience and use body language, eye contact, gestures, vocal emphasis effectively.
The current composition of the ICMA Women's Network Steering Committee is as follows:
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Asia-Pacific Thuy-Van Nguyen Clearstream Banking S.A. |
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MENA Nadia Zubairi Bank ABC |
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Belgium Representative TBC |
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Nordic Angela Brusas Nordic Investment Bank |
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France Nathalie Masset (Interim chair) Euronext Paris SA |
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South Africa Mosidi Sibaya South African Reserve Bank |
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Germany Cristina Freudenberger White & Case LLP |
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Spain Susana de Pablo Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. |
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Ireland Aisling Kelly Arthur Cox |
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Switzerland Charlotte Mueller Swiss Re |
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Italy Nicole Della Vedova Enel SpA |
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UK Camille McKelvey MarketAxess Europe Limited |
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Luxembourg Isa Ribeiro Clearstream Banking SA |
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West Africa Representative TBC |
