EBRD Director for Gender and Economic Inclusion, Barbara Rambousek, spoke at Impact Symposium and highlighted the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) informing investment decisions.
The event focused on environmental and social aspects impacting investing.
Opportunities and challenges in allocating capital for change, social recovery in emerging economies, and investors' approach to actively respond to gender and racial gaps were some of the key topics covered.
Responding to the gender and racial gap
Barbara discussed how the pandemic and climate change have impacted women and racial minorities disproportionately yet fortunately, investing with a DEI lens is gaining momentum.
She focused on how an integrated approach is needed by institutional investors to actively respond to the gender and racial gap, weighing it at the core of investment decisions. Mainstreaming gender and racial considerations is essential to building a more inclusive and prosperous society and achieving numerous sustainable development goals (SDGs). In addition, countless studies have found that companies with diverse teams can unfold higher profits and better equity returns.
A career focused on inclusion
Barbara established the Bank’s approach to integrating economic inclusion into the Bank’s mandate, to address inequality challenges through private sector investments and policy engagement.
Her focus is on creating equitable access to employment and skills, entrepreneurship and finance as well as key infrastructure service, reflecting the specific needs of women, youth, aging populations, migrants and others.
She has 20 years of leadership experience in the design and delivery of multi-sectoral inclusive development programmes and strategies in Central and Eastern Europe, the MENA region, Asia and the UK.
She is a regular speaker at major international events and on topics such as inequality, inclusion, skills, just transition and gender.
Barbara holds an executive MBA from Cass Business School, London, an MSc from the London School of Economics and an MA from the University of Vienna.
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.