Stock Exchange Bells Ring Around The World In Support Of Gender Equality

Representatives of Ring the Bell for Gender Equality partners, including Women in ETFs Canadian Chapter Co-Head, Deborah Frame, joined Jos Schmitt – President and CEO, Aequitas NEO Exchange Inc., to open the NEO Exchange in celebration of International Women’s Day 2017. The Honourable Charles Sousa – Ontario’s Minister of Finance, Som Seif – Founder and CEO, Purpose Investments, Carrie Kirkman – Chair, G(irls)20 and Mariefaye Bechrakis,- Human Rights and Gender Equality Consultant, UN Global Compact, honoured the celebration with their participation. This third annual event, organized by Women in ETFs and UN Women, focused on the theme “Women at Work”.

Toronto – March 8, 2017 –Aequitas NEO Exchange Inc. (“NEO Exchange” or “NEO”) is proud to take part in today’s global collaboration across 43 stock exchanges to “Ring the Bell for Gender Equality” in celebration of International Women’s Day 2017. The initiative, organized by Women in ETFs and UN Women, focused on the theme “Women at Work” for it’s third annual event.

Celebrating with NEO today were Som Seif – Founder and CEO, Purpose Investments, Deborah Frame – Canadian Chapter Co-Head, Women in ETFs, and CIO, Frame Global Asset Management, Carrie Kirkman – Chair, G(irls)20 and Mariefaye Bechrakis – Human Rights and Gender Equality Consultant, UN Global Compact.  These individuals participated in a panel discussion, moderated by Jos Schmitt – President and CEO, NEO Exchange, on empowering women in the workforce, dissecting current barriers to gender equality and enabling private sector solutions.

“Real change begins with strong leadership and an unwavering passion to improve the world around you,” said Schmitt. “Today I am humbled to share a room with so many leaders of this kind, who prioritize the path to equality and use their positions to give a voice to those who have none. At NEO, we are no stranger to fighting for fairness and pushing back against entrenched views that limit competition and growth. That is why we readily embrace and foster female employees throughout each level of our organization, and it gives me great pride to confirm these values today.”

“We established the Canadian chapter of Women in ETFs with the goal of increasing the proportion of women joining the industry,” said Frame. “Looking around the room this morning I’m proud to see we have come a long way, but there is still a long way to go. Together, through initiatives like this, we can identify the unconscious bias that exists for women in the workplace and embrace the right attitudes required to effectively address it. I’d like to thank NEO and everyone involved in this year’s event for helping us amplify the voice of female leaders in prominent roles and supporting women in the financial industry.”

Building on its existing commitments as part of the Sustainable Stock Exchange Initiative, NEO was pleased to purchase 500 non-trading shares of G(irls)20 ‘stock’, representing an investment in girls and young women via education, entrepreneurship and global experiences. Carrie Kirkman accepted the cheque for $5,000 on behalf of G(irls)20, a Canadian-based globally active organization that exists to cultivate a new generation of female leaders.

“Female leadership has been shown to improve performance metrics while reducing volatility,” said Carrie Kirkman. “G20 leaders have previously acknowledged this fact, recognizing the economic benefit of investing in girls and women and the impact they can have on global growth. While we are dedicated to placing girls and young women in the career pipeline, we cannot do it alone. Thank you to NEO and all of our valuable partnerships that allow us to execute our impactful programs around the world.”

Following the discussion, Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa delivered an address that reinforced the importance of collaboration between government and the private sector to develop and support initiatives aimed at driving gender diversity today and into the future.

Now in its third iteration, the event series is a partnership of Women in ETFs and UN Women, together with the Sustainable Stock Exchange Initiative, UN Global Compact, the IFC and the World Federation of Exchanges. The market open ceremonies raise awareness about the opportunities for the private sector to advance gender equality and sustainable development.

About NEO Exchange
Aequitas NEO Exchange Inc. is a new Canadian stock exchange using a bold new blueprint that puts investors, businesses looking to raise capital and dealers first. Launched in March 2015, the NEO Exchange currently offers an innovative trading venue and a value added listing venue for capital raising companies and investment products. The NEO Exchange is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aequitas Innovations Inc., a company founded by a diverse group of prominent investors representative of all Canadian capital market stakeholders.

Media Contact:
Adam Bornstein
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