One question I’m always asked during a Finovate networking session is, “Why don’t you put more women on stage?” My answer: we don’t dictate the gender of the company’s presenter. We leave that decision up to the company.

This post is to celebrate the fintech industry’s growth of female inclusion. At the first Finovate conference in 2007, there were zero women on stage. Last month, at FinovateEurope 2016, 20% of the companies featured a woman on stage (party on!). Here’s a look at the ladies of FinovateEurope 2016:

AdviceRobo’s CCO Rosali Steenkamer

 

BankersLab’s Co-founder and CEO Michelle Katics

CREALOGIX’s Geraldine Critchley, head of digital marketing

ebankIT’s Diana Winstanley, business development

Envestnet’s SVP Molly Pandya, product management

Ethoca’s Helene Ladjadj, senior manager, issuer relations, EMEA

EyeVerify’s Director of Marketing Tinna Hung

IT Sector’s Inês Domingues, market manager

Livian Technologies’s Raquel Oliveira, head of product

myInvenio’s Modesta Jonauskyte, sales and marketing assistant

Outshared’s Director Irene van den Brink

SBDA Group’s Anna Laskovaya, project manager

Spiff’s CMO Kristin Moller

While not all of these women are CEOs of their company, each plays a role in removing women from the “endangered species list” of fintech.

While we still have a long way to go, we can all be encouraged by the movement that has already taken place and the global initiatives that have sparked growth. The FemTech Leaders MeetUp, organized by Ghela Boskovich and Michelle Moffatt, has held three successful events this year (I attended the London meetup last month, and the attendance was impressive).

If you’re interested in attending a FemTech leaders event (men are also invited to attend), check out the upcoming meetup in Sydney or RSVP for the meetup in New York after the first day of FinDEVr New York on March 29. It’s less than a 10-minute walk from the venue.

This post wouldn’t be complete without a shoutout to the ladies of Finovate and FinDEVr; the women who help make our events happen (editor’s note: And of course, Julie Schicktanz, the author of this post):

• Leah Baldwin
• Dom Marczak
• Emily Olyarchuk
• Erika Sanchez
• Kate Schultz
• Kate Stolte
• Heather Stowell
• Paula Wrzecionowska

Be sure to check out our celebration of International Women’s Day on the FinDEVr blog.