International Women’s Day is an important global event that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Every year, we take the opportunity to remind ourselves that much work still needs to be done, and that we all must stand together to create a more gender equal world.
As I reflect on my career and Tompkins as an organization, I am proud to work alongside such inspiring women across all of our communities. While the financial services industry is often characterized as male-dominated, with fewer women advancing into leadership roles, Tompkins remains committed to doing our part by promoting gender equity in the workplace.
- As of 2021, more than half of our workforce are women.
- Women are in key leadership positions on our executive leadership team, and many serve in leadership roles for each of our affiliates.
- We’ve made significant gains in employing women in areas that in our industry have been historically filled by men, such as commercial lending, enterprise risk, and wealth management.
- We have a number of opportunities for both women and men to develop their leadership skills through our Professional Development Program, Executive Coaching, and a wide variety of Individual Development Plans.
- We require all team members to attend unconscious bias training, facilitating tough conversations to help people understand why certain inequalities exist.
We encourage you to get involved and learn more about what International Women’s Day means. The International Women’s Day media hub offers several resources for celebrating women's achievements and increasing visibility, while calling out inequality. I invite you to visit their website and learn more.
While there is always more work to do, I look back on the achievements of women here at Tompkins and it gives me hope that we’re continuing to act against bias and inequality.
As the theme of 2021 International Women’s Day states – we can all choose to challenge. You’re not alone, and we’re all in this together.
#ChooseToChallenge