Investing in Diversity

On this episode of I So Appreciate You!, co-hosts Nadege Souvenir and Melanie Hoffert discuss mission-based investing and the values of a diverse team in the investments industry with Chief Investment Officer for the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, Shannon O’Leary. In her role, Shannon and her staff help steward the Foundation’s $1.7 billion in assets, ensuring that those dollars aren’t invested and/or supporting any issues or causes that may detour our grantmaking work. Shannon is one of few women spearheading an investment team in a predominantly white male-dominated industry. As a result of this lack of diversity, Shannon has made it her mission to meet with managers in the industry and advocate for change. “One of the most dangerous things in this industry that leads to problems and leads to additional risk is the lack of diversity on these teams leading to group think,” she says.  In addition to her work advocating for change in the investments space, Shannon also pens a bi-weekly newsletter to share her experiences working in a male-dominated industry and sharing advice for readers wanting to create change themselves.   Links Our Investment Approach Follow Shannon on LinkedIn Say It Out Loud LinkedIn newsletter