Press Release
GIRLS WHO INVEST HIRES CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND HEAD OF PARTNERSHIPS TO BUILD ON STRONG 2021 MOMENTUM
Michelle DeFossett and Christina Kim Join as COO and Head of Partnerships, Respectively, as GWI Grows Team to Support Growth
NEW YORK, May 11, 2021 – Girls Who Invest (GWI), a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the number of women in portfolio management and executive leadership in the investment management industry, today announced the hire of two senior roles: Chief Operating Officer, Michelle DeFossett, and Head of Partnerships, Christina Kim.
“We’re excited to welcome Michelle and Christina to the team,” said Katherine Jollon Colsher, CEO of Girls Who Invest. “We’ve grown dramatically in our first five years and have charted an ambitious path to 2030 and beyond. The experience that Michelle and Christina bring to their roles will be an essential part of carrying our momentum forward and will further GWI’s impact within the investment management industry.”
As COO, Ms. DeFossett oversees GWI’s finance and operations, including human resources and IT. She brings over 20 years of experience steering organizational growth and operational transformation through strategic leadership, collaborative projects, new programs, and technology platforms. For the six years prior to GWI, she served as Vice President of Finance & Administration for Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), and earlier in her career she worked at Habitat for Humanity, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and JPMorgan Chase. She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in Economics and received her MBA from Columbia Business School.
“I’m delighted to join the Girls Who Invest team and I look forward to helping build on GWI’s amazing success,” said Ms. DeFossett. “Having started my career in finance before moving into the non-profit world, I’ve seen firsthand the impact that mentors can have in teaching and shaping the next generation of leaders. I’ve always been drawn to roles that connected me with people and which focused on community building and helping others. Girls Who Invest perfectly combines those passions, and I’m so excited to be a part of this.”
Ms. Kim joins as Head of Partnerships, where she leads, manages, and continues to grow GWI’s robust partnership and fundraising program. Working together with more than 110 existing investment management firms and foundation partners, she will drive ongoing and multi-year strategies to engage, support and build successful relationships on behalf of the organization. Prior to GWI, she worked at Goldman Sachs Asset Management as a portfolio manager in the firm’s multi-asset class investment group, focusing on investment solutions for endowment and foundation clients. Previously, she worked at ArcherOak Capital Management and Andor Capital Management as a hedge fund technology investor and portfolio manager. She graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Economics and an M.A. in Sociology.
“Having worked as a practitioner within the investment management industry for 20 years before getting involved with Girls Who Invest, this opportunity is in many ways the best of both worlds,” said Ms. Kim. “At this stage in my career, doing meaningful work is extremely important and the organization’s mission and values really resonate with me. I’m looking forward to collaborating closely with our investment partners to effect meaningful change in the industry.”
Girls Who Invest was founded in 2015 by Seema R. Hingorani with a vision of having 30% of the world’s investable assets managed by women by 2030. Since then, more than 500 students from U.S. universities and colleges have participated in GWI’s flagship Summer Intensive Program, 80% of whom have gone on to pursue careers in finance. An additional 350 women have completed its Online Intensive Program, and by August 2021 Girls Who Invest will have reached over 1,000 women in just six years.
Earlier this year, GWI announced plans to increase the diversity of those women with regard to race, socioeconomic background, major, and undergraduate institution, and established a goal of having at least 25% of its SIP scholars come from historically underrepresented communities by 2025.
About Girls Who Invest
Girls Who Invest is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing gender diversity and inclusion in investment management with a focus on growing the pipeline of women in frontline investing positions. They accomplish this through education, mentoring, internships, and a supportive community. The organization’s flagship Summer Intensive Program enables college students to explore investment management careers through four weeks of free educational training with top university professors followed by a six-week paid internship at one of more than 100 leading investment management firms in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. Scholars can also apply for Girls Who Invest’s fully subsidized, self-directed Online Intensive Program.
In addition, all scholars receive support and career guidance from a community of partners, mentors, and alumni. Girls Who Invest’s vision is for 30% of the world’s investable capital to be managed by women by 2030. For more information, visit www.girlswhoinvest.org.
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