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2022 AWARD NOMINATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.
InvestmentNews accepted nominations for its 5th annual Excellence in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Awards, celebrating individuals, advisory firms and industry partners that recognize the need to cultivate a diverse and equitable profession that's welcoming to all. The deadline for nominations was extended to Jan. 31, 2022.
nominate an individual
nominate firms & industry partners
AWARDS FOR INDIVIDUALS
See It, Be It Role Models
An individual financial adviser, or industry professional supporting advisers, who has been an effective role model for individuals and brings diversity to the financial advice profession. Judges will consider demonstrations of leadership, business achievements and examples of being a role model or inspiring others from diverse backgrounds to succeed in the financial advice profession.
Nominees must currently be working as financial planners, registered representatives or registered investment advisers, or as an industry professional in a role that supports financial advisers. The nominees should have worked in the profession for at least 10 years.
Lifetime Achievement
An individual financial adviser, or industry professional supporting advisers, who has increased diversity in the profession and demonstrated outstanding leadership. Judges will consider management, team development, business achievement and commitment to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion in the financial advice profession. For instance, a candidate may have acted as a mentor to those with diverse backgrounds and later implemented a formal mentorship program at his or her firm or through a membership organization to further advance the diversity and inclusion cause.
Nominees must currently be working as financial planners, registered representatives or registered investment advisers, or as industry professionals in a role that supports financial advisers. These individuals should have effected change through creative and specific solutions and have a demonstrated history of supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in the industry for at least 15 years.
Rising Star
An emerging leader in the financial advice industry who is in the early stages of his or her career but shows exceptional growth in contributions to the profession. This individual already has demonstrated leadership qualities and is expected to be a driving force to building diversity and an inclusive culture in the financial advice profession. For instance, an individual who developed a hiring process that focuses on adding diverse candidates to the pool of interviewees and interviewers.
Nominees must currently be working as financial planners, registered representatives or registered investment advisers, or as industry professionals in a role that supports financial advisers.
These individuals should have worked for less than 10 years in their financial services career.
nominate an individual
AWARDS FOR ADVISORY FIRMS & INDUSTRY PARTNERS
Outstanding Practices
Recognizes internal and external firm initiatives at financial advice firms specifically developed to increase diversity, equity and inclusion of the firm or its clients. For example, the initiative should show efforts to boost diversity among firm leadership or the broader employee base through improved recruitment, education, training and retention of diverse individuals. Or, it should show how the firm reaches out to or serves diverse individuals, especially those who most need financial services.
The initiatives recognized will have demonstrated results showing a transformation of the organizational makeup or culture of the firm or its client base through the inclusion of diverse groups. Nominees must be financial advice firms in good standing with state and federal securities regulators.
Diversity Champions
Recognizes firms that work with or support the financial adviser community, such as broker-dealers, custodians, asset managers, insurance firms, fintech companies, educational institutions and other industry organizations, for their efforts to foster diversity, equity and inclusion within their own firms or within the financial advice profession. These awards can recognize a firm’s internal program to improve diversity or an external campaign to improve financial literacy among diverse groups, such as published research or other writings showing the impact of diversity, equity and inclusion, or other successful efforts to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the financial advice business.
Nominees must be firms that serve the financial advice profession.
nominate firms & industry partners
Contact
If you have any questions regarding the nomination process, please contact Brittney Grimes, editorial special projects manager at InvestmentNews, bgrimes@investmentnews.com or 212-850-7629.
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Sabrina Straub, Events and Media Sales Representative, at sstraub@investmentnews.com or 646-437-7956.
For event registration, please contact inevents@investmentnews.com
Key Dates and Deadlines
• Dec. 1, 2021: Call for nominations
• Jan. 31, 2022: Final deadline for nominations
• Feb. 2022: Individual winners and firm finalists will be notified
• April 4, 2022: Individual award winners and firm finalists will be profiled in InvestmentNews’ print publication and on the publication’s website
• May 3, 2022: Individual award winners and firm finalists will be celebrated at a luncheon in Chicago, where the firm winners will be revealed
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I nominate someone for a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award?
By filling out our online survey. Nominations must be submitted using the web form.
Can I nominate people who aren’t financial advisers?
Yes, as long as the majority of their work is in and for the financial advisory industry.
How many people can I nominate?
There is no limit.
When does the nomination process end?
Jan. 31, 2022.
When will the winners be notified?
The individual winners and the firm finalists will be notified in Feb. 2022.
Where and when will the individual winners of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion awards be published?
In the April 4, 2022 issue of InvestmentNews and in online stories posted around that date.
How will the nominees be judged? Who chooses the final list?
The nominees will be judged according to specific criteria listed in the application. InvestmentNews staff will choose the individual winners and the firm finalists. The InvestmentNews Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Board will choose the winners of the firm awards.
Do I have to include the nominee’s age and assets under management?
Yes. If a nominee is picked, the profile we write may mention the age of the individual and assets under management. If your nominee is not an adviser, please choose “not applicable” from the dropdown menu for assets under management.
Can I just call or send an email with the name of the person I would like to nominate?
No. Only those firms and individuals nominated through the web form will make it into the selection database.
Can I nominate someone anonymously?
No. We need to know who you are so we can contact you if needed, but we will not share nominator information with any third party or include it anywhere in the published features.
Are there rules about whom I can nominate?
You can nominate yourself, a client, a family member, your boss, an employee or an acquaintance. The most important thing is that you state a clear case for the nomination based on the criteria we are seeking.
Will more than one nominee from the same company be accepted?
You may nominate multiple people from one company, but because of our goal of finding a diverse group, only one nominee per company will likely be chosen. However, multiple candidates from separate divisions of large conglomerates could be chosen.
What is required of those who are selected?
Individuals and firms that are selected for these awards must make someone available for a phone interview with a reporter. They also will need to provide a high-resolution photo and may be asked to sit for a photo shoot or a video interview.
When and where will the awards luncheon take place?
The awards luncheon will be held on May 3, 2022, in Chicago.
Can I contact you to see how my nominee is doing in the judging process?
No. We don’t give status reports on nominations. If we need any further information, we will contact you. We ask that you please be patient.