On Wednesday, Money20/20 announced the upcoming launch of Rise Up, a program that was created in an effort to foster gender inclusivity within both the financial services and fintech industries. According to Money20/20, Rise Up is also designed to empower the next generation of female leaders through actionable skills, tools, and learning in order to take their careers to the next level. Rise Up will launch during the Money20/20 USA event in Las Vegas.
Money20/20 reported that a cohort of 30 women will be hand-chosen to take part, complete with a series of bespoke content sessions and exclusive networking opportunities. Each of the participants will have one-to-one mentoring with the most respected industry leaders and private sessions with keynote speakers. The Rise Up program will run throughout the event’s four days alongside regular event programming.
Money20/20 also revealed that Rise Up was created in partnership with Wnet (Women’s Network in Electronic Transactions), the premier professional organization for women in payments. To ensure the program meets the needs of women across all sectors of the ecosystem Money20/20 officials enlisted the guidance of an advisory group of senior female leaders, including Wnet’s Lisl Dutterer, IRC Advisory’s Kirsten Trusko, Ant Financial’s Carol Grunberg, PayPal’s Louise Pentland, TSYS’ Theresa Gongora, Kabbage’s Kathryn Petralia and Accenture’s Paula O’Reilly. The group will help select the 2018 participants, as well as offer mentorship and insights throughout the program. Speaking about the upcoming program, Money20/20 President, Tracey Davies, stated:
“As the home of the Money Revolution, Money20/20 will unite every sector of our diverse ecosystem to create a simpler, fairer and faster financial system for both individuals and businesses – a task only achieved with the power of inclusivity on our side. Not only will Rise Up bring these women the tools to empower them to grow, but will also serve as a platform to inspire others to create actionable plans for inclusion and empowerment within our industry.”
Louise Pentland, EVP, Chief Business Affairs and Legal Officer of PayPal, also commented:
“The Rise Up program comes at a perfect time and in many ways embodies the true potential of fintech: to create an even playing field where every person and every business has the same opportunities. I’m honored to lend my voice to this program and join other extraordinary women on the advisory board.”
Money20/20 added all women in the Financial Services, Fintech, and Payments industries are encouraged to apply to take part. Applications close on August 31st and Money20/20 USA will take place on October 21st-24th.