Sharon Bowen is Honored as Public Sector Woman of the Year

• L-to-R: FWA BMO Student Honoree Jenny He; FWA President Hermina “Nina” Batson and FWA Baruch Student Honoree Amber Watts
• FWA Celebrates 65th Anniversary and Pays Tribute to this Year’s Honorees: FWA President Hermina “Nina” Batson with FWA Public Sector Woman of the Year Sharon Bowen, Chair, NYSE and FWA Male Ally of the Year Dan Barclay, CEO, BMO Capital Markets (CNW Group/Financial Women's Association)

Financial Women's Association Celebrates 65th Anniversary by Honoring NYSE Chair Sharon Bowen, BMO's Dan Barclay and past FWA Presidents

NEW YORK, March 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Every year, the Financial Women's Association (FWA) recognizes changemakers in the public and private sectors who have made a difference.

This year, to mark its 65^th Anniversary and gala dinner in New York City, the FWA recognized the contributions of NYSE Chair, Sharon Bowen as Public Sector Woman of the Year, and BMO Capital Markets Chief Executive Officer Dan Barclay as Male Ally of the Year. In addition, the FWA celebrates its Past Presidents for their legacy in making the FWA the success it is today, recognizing them as Private Sector Women of the Year.

FWA Past Presidents Honored as Women of the Year

Name		Date		Name		Date
Nancy Zucker		1956 - 1957		Barbara B. Roberts		1991 - 1992
Joan Williams Farr		1957 - 1958		Mina Baker Knoll		1992 - 1993
				Ruth L. Finch Powers		1993 - 1994
Marguerite Beer Platt		1965 - 1967		Debra D. Flanz		1994 - 1995
				Gail S. Miner		1995 - 1996
				Jeannette G. Hobson		1996 - 1997
Martha S. Sproule		1972 - 1973		Dominique Martinet		1997 - 1998
Bernadette M. Bartels Murphy		1973 - 1974		Lenore C. Albom		1998 - 1999
Sheila M. Baird		1974 - 1975		Pamela J. Packard		1999 - 2000
M. Helen Fisher Bennett		1975 - 1976		Kimberly L. Quinones		2000 - 2001
Susan Dollinger		1977 - 1978		Betsy L. Werley		2001 - 2002
Melinda L. Lloyd		1978 - 1979		Joan Shapiro Green		2002 - 2003
Candace L. Straight		1979 - 1980		Mary Rudie Barneby		2003 - 2004
Susan Fisher Greenwood		1980 - 1981		Kelly A. Mathieson		2004 - 2005
JoAnn Heffernan Heisen		1981 - 1982		Judith L. Mellars		2005 - 2006
Pamela J. Newman		1982 - 1983		Martha Clark Goss		2006 - 2007
Ellen M. Sills-Levy		1983 - 1984		Lily Klebanoff Blake		2007 - 2008
Myrna Z. Weiss		1984 - 1985		Kristin McDonough		2008 - 2009
Norma Niehoff-Emerson		1985 - 1986		Stephanie Hauge		2009 - 2010
Myra Leigh Tobin		1986 - 1987		Susan Ganz		2010 - 2011
Margaret N. Newborg		1987 - 1988		Anne Izzillo		2011 - 2012
Heidi S. Steiger		1988 - 1989		Susan Harper		2012 - 2013
Barbara M. Reno		1989 - 1990		Kimberly Weinrick		2013 - 2014
Lucille V. Corrier		1990 - 1991		Maureen Adolf		2014 - 2015
				Katrin Dambrot		2015-2017
				Stacy Musi		2017-2018
				Simone Vinocour		2019-2021

SOURCE Financial Women's Association

"It gives us great pleasure to recognize Sharon and Dan for their contributions to our mission to promote the professional development and advancement of all women through education, mentorship, scholarships, networking, alliances, and advocacy across the financial community," said FWA President Hermina 'Nina' Batson, who is also the association's first Black president. "This year's in-person gala dinner, which comes a day after International Women's Day and as we celebrate Women's History Month, is an opportunity to thank our leadership and members, past and present, for helping to drive IDEA – Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access – as we pave the way forward for all women in finance."

The March 9^th event at Convene, located in the heart of New York City overlooking Times Square, also recognized FWA undergraduate scholars and mentors from the FWA's educational initiatives.

The FWA provides a forum for women to demonstrate their leadership and advisory skills through networking, ground-breaking educational programs, distinguished speakers, with peer-to-peer and next generation mentoring, along with practical and professional development training.

Since its founding, the FWA has shown unwavering commitment and dedication in supporting these goals and sharing best practices and building a stronger pipeline.

"Thanks to the FWA leadership team and especially thanks and congratulations to Nina Batson, a trailblazer and history maker in her own right," said Sharon Bowen, who broke barriers by becoming the first woman and the first person of color to become Chair of the Board of Directors of the New York Stock Exchange. "I also want to congratulate those who are being honored."

 "BMO is proud to celebrate the long-standing and impactful partnership with the Financial Women's Association," said Dan Barclay, who has 31 years of investment banking experience in a broad range of industries and has been recognized as a Champion of Change. "Congratulations to the FWA for its 65^th anniversary. BMO is honored to play a part in accelerating the success of women in the financial sector." 

The FWA's Awards Ceremony is an annual tribute to the FWA's robust history and to its ongoing mission to advance the leadership growth and accelerate the success of all women in the financial sector by fostering alliances and preparing the current and next generation of professionals.

FWA President's Circle Supporters

The FWA gratefully acknowledged the generosity and commitment of its President's Circle Fortune 500 partners, who support the FWA in providing mentoring programs and scholarships to over 6,500 underrepresented and underserved young professionals and students. In particular, the FWA acknowledged the contributions of BMO Capital Markets to the FWA Education Fund over the past 11 years, including through the BMO "Equity Through Education" program and the Back2Business Program. 

About the FWA

The FWA was founded in 1956 to help advance the leadership of women in the financial community. The New York-based organization partners with companies to share best practices and provides opportunities for members to build their careers, meet industry leaders, earn the support of powerful women and major companies, and contribute to the next generation of female leaders. The FWA's community activities include mentoring, scholarships, and training programs. The FWA High School Mentoring Program has impacted the lives of dozens of young women, empowering them to overcome sometimes overwhelming odds to graduate from high school and attend college. The FWA's Wall Street Exchange Program has helped over a thousand interns develop professional and networking skills; the FWA Adult Financial Literacy training programs have helped educate over 200 underserved women about personal financial matters, and 2,000 students have participated in the FWA's Financial Backpack Literacy training. In addition, 140 scholarships have been awarded to MBA students and 250 Undergraduate FWA/BMO Scholarships have been awarded to undergraduate students.