If there’s anyone who understands the importance of — quite literally — investing in the future, it’s Craigs Investment Partners.
A long-term mindset, a commitment to consistent actions: the principles of investing for the growth of people and profits share some strong common ground.
Having recently joined as Global Women Partners, Craigs Investment Partners are dedicated not only to growing the wealth, but also the wider equity of New Zealanders with this very principle. To celebrate the move and CEO Simon Tong becoming a Champion for Change, Global Women joined in kōrero with Hannah Gillespie, Head of Strategy, to talk about keeping and strengthening this momentum.
“We have gradually grown our network of female advisers across New Zealand, all passionate about empowering women with more knowledge and confidence to invest and to become successful investors, to ultimately provide financial freedom and peace of mind.”
Diversity and equity focuses are far from new for Craigs Investment Partners. Their gender lense saw them as one of the first firms to realise — and take action — on the investing gap among genders. Enter Women’s Wealth: regular sessions designed to equip women with the practical information needed for all kinds of investing matters.
You’ve held Women’s Wealth sessions for quite some time now: could you tell us where the inspiration was behind this?
“Women’s Wealth was started by a few female advisers in 2007 at a time when there weren’t many initiatives tailored specifically for women. Craigs’ Women’s Wealth aims to empower women with knowledge and confidence to invest.
“We know that women generally tend to invest or save less than men due to often taking time out to care for children or working with reduced hours. This coupled with the fact that women generally live longer than men means that when women are faced with life changing circumstances many feel unsure about what to do next or how to manage their finances. We have gradually grown our network of female advisers across New Zealand, all passionate about empowering women with more knowledge and confidence to invest and to become successful investors, to ultimately provide financial freedom and peace of mind.
“The feedback has been nothing short of positive: Women attending often come away with a sense of relief and empowerment. Many say they wonder why they haven’t joined sooner.”
“We’re proud of the continuous effort our advisers put into educating their clients and those new to investing to set more people up for financial success”
Craigs Investment Partners mission to focus on equity extends far beyond personal equipment and external activities. Shifting the dial internally is part of their outlook.
“We are really proud to partner with Global Women and we look forward to hearing from other businesses how they have approached D&I within their organisation.
“Craigs Investment Partners is at its heart, a people business. We are committed to our company values which promote a workplace where all employees are equal, feel a sense of belonging and valued in the role they play to deliver the best outcomes for our clients, shareholders and each other. We look forward to advocating for a workplace that is inclusive, diverse and where people feel like they belong.”
When asked about what Craigs are proud of to date, education and momentum comes to mind:
“We’re proud of the continuous effort our advisers put into educating their clients and those new to investing to set more people up for financial success. We are really gaining momentum around our Women’s Wealth programme now with 50 female advisers involved nationwide running events centred around different topics.”
As for what diversity means to Hannah and the team at Craigs Investment Partners?
“As a firm we support the global research and thinking which shows that diverse companies are not only stronger — they also outperform industry peers on profitability, and they are more likely to adapt to, and withstand massive changes in circumstance.
“This thinking aligns with the strategic goals we have set as an investment firm and an employer and ultimately matches the diversity of our clients and New Zealand.”