Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/744537
46 Events maltatoday, SUNDAY, 30 OCTOBER 2016 '100 Women In Hedge Funds' to launch in Malta GENDER disparities at the top of the corporate ladder have prompted several European countries to institute quotas for women on boards of publicly listed companies. Since Norway passed a law in 2003 mandating 40 percent representation of both men and women on the board of publicly listed companies, sixteen European countries have legislat- ed similar reforms. Most recently, Germany passed a law requiring publicly listed companies to have 30 percent of supervisory seats occupied by women as of 2016. Even where no legal requirements are in place, boards are under increasing pressure to appoint female directors. The European Commission (EC) has called on publicly listed companies to vol- untarily commit to increasing the presence of women on boards to 30 percent by 2015 and 40 percent by 2020 among non-executive directors by actively recruiting qualified women to replace out- going male members Without doubt, there has been significant effort and investment in attracting more women to fi- nancial services and in develop- ing more of them into leaders. Many organizations have initiat- ed recruiting, networking, spon- sorship and training programs targeted specifically at women. Many of the visible processes have been improved for equal opportunity. Moving financial services firms towards gender balance requires a mix of bolder structural solutions and more profound underlying cultural change. Malta has a flourishing invest- ment community; women occupy positions in asset allocation, in- vestment selection, due diligence, research, financial analysis, edu- cation and marketing. With this in mind, 100 Women in Hedge Funds launches its newest global hub in Valletta on November 1st 2016. Amanda Pullinger, CEO of 100WHF will present a brief overview of the global organiza- tion, which now has more than 15,000 members worldwide in 21 locations, and will give an over- view of upcoming events. Par- ticipants will help make Malta a forum for women in this commu- nity to meet and learn from each other through educational events and other peer to peer opportuni- ties. "The success 100WHF is self- evident. Since their foundation they have hosted a series of first- class, high-profile events attract- ing a crowd of both local and international attendees" stated Patrick J O Brien, EXANTE's Communication Director " As offical hosts, we at EXANTE are delighted to see 100WHF in Malta and look forward to creat- ing strong syneries between our organisations. We firmly believe that creating equal opportunities for women in business is not only a question of gender equality, but also an economic priority" Recently, as Patron of 100 Wom- en in Hedge Funds' philanthrop- ic initiatives, Prince William opened a gala dinner in The UK and praised the organisation for its business acumen and for the funds raised by the organisation for numerous charities. Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with the 100WHF Board Chair, Anne Popkin and 100WHF CEO, Amanda Pullinger HSBC Catch the Drop inspires Senglea Primary students with harvested water ST Margaret College Senglea Primary celebrated the installa- tion of water tanks as part of the school's water harvesting project. The project was financed by the HSBC Water Programme – Catch the Drop. The inauguration ceremony was led by Parliamentary Secretary for Research, Innovation, Youth and Sport Chris Agius and HSBC Malta CEO Andrew Beane both of whom also unveiled a com- memorative plaque. Earlier this year, Senglea stu- dents received 120 magnets with messages of water conservation on them, while another 120 wa- ter-tap aerators were distributed to the families of the students un- der the HSBC programme. Catch the Drop is a large-scale three-year initiative partly-fund- ed by the HSBC Group to raise awareness about water conser- vation and stimulate positive change towards sustainable fresh water use in Malta and Gozo. The campaign aims to reach every sin- gle student in Malta, that is, over 50,000 students coming from 155 schools, all the 67 Local Councils in Malta and Gozo, as well as the Maltese community at large. Two young students of Senglea Primary tend to plants using water from the harvesting tanks APS Bank entrusts GO with boosting its communications infrastructure AN agreement that has been re- cently signed between APS Bank and communications services provider GO will see the Bank and its customers benefit from an enhanced fibre network. Besides enabling the Bank to optimise its services, the new network will also deliver improved connectiv- ity services for employees, both those situated at its Head Office in Swatar and those forming part of its branch network. The agree- ment is part of the Bank's plans to strengthen its architecture lead- ing to improved customer expe- rience, communication and net- working efficiency. APS Bank's Chief Executive Officer, Mr Marcel Cassar, said: "This agreement will enable the Bank to improve its technology infrastructure and communica- tion services. Having a more re- silient network and enhanced capacity will enhance customer service and optimise the opera- tional spend." GO's Chief Executive Officer, Mr Yiannos Michaelides, said: "Connectivity and speed are al- ready essential for practically every business including of course financial services. With a super fast, reliable full fibre communi- cations infrastructure, APS will be well placed to meet its opera- tional and customer service ob- jectives. GO is the only company in Malta which is able to deliver this level of fibre connectivity, an essential tool not just to meet to- day's communications demands but also to enable businesses to future proof their networks." APS Bank Chief Executive Officer, Mr Marcel Cassar, and GO Chief Executive Officer, Mr Yiannos Michaelides, during the signing of the agreement Vodafone employees serve pasta all'Amatriciana in support of quake victims VODAFONE Malta employees presented the Italian Ambas- sador with a receipt for €1,000 which was raised by staff mem- bers in support of the victims left behind following the devas- tating earthquake. At least 290 people died in Au- gust's 6.2 magnitude earthquake which hit the regions of Lazio and Le Marche bordering Um- bria. A few weeks following the trag- edy, members from Vodafone's social events committee bus- ied themselves with organising a pasta all 'Amatriciana lunch for their fellow colleagues. The Malta International Airport canteen was roped in to serve up the Italian speciality pasta and sauce, which hails from the town of Amatrice badly hit by the earthquake. Proceeds from the sale of the pasta, which amounted to €500, were donated to the Lazio re- gion's earthquake relief fund. The Vodafone Malta Foundation also donated a further €500, bringing the total amount up to €1,000. His Excellency Giovanni Um- berto De Vito recently paid a visit to the Vodafone Malta of- fices at SkyParks Business Cen- tre, Luqa, where he was pre- sented with the receipt of the donation. Mr De Vito expressed his grat- itude towards Vodafone Malta employees, adding that he was struck by the Maltese people's generous spirit and support to- wards neighbouring Italy.