CFA Society Australia commemorates one-year milestone of the Inclusion Code with eight inaugural signatories
Lisa Carroll
CFA Society Australia is proud to announce that eight organisations across super funds, asset managers, and consultants have adopted the voluntary CFA Institute Inclusion Code (Australia).
Grounded in global standards, the CFA Institute Inclusion Code has been adapted for Australia through consultation with a working group of leading firms, ensuring its relevance to the Australian investment industry. Since the Australian launch of the code in September 2024, the signatories who have adopted the code total eight and include:
- HESTA
- Frontier Advisors
- ECP Asset Management
- Elston Asset Management
- MFS International (Australia)
- CFA Society Australia
Lisa Carroll, CEO, CFA Society Australia, commented: “We applaud these organisations which, alongside CFA Society Australia, have committed to the Inclusion Code after its first year. This milestone illustrates the Australian investment industry’s commitment and leadership to building a more inclusive investment profession.”
Sonya Sawtell-Rickson, Chief Investment Officer, HESTA, commented: “At HESTA we are committed advocates for a more sustainable and inclusive economy. We believe that more diverse and inclusive teams have greater insight and perspective, enhancing decision making and contributing to stronger long-term performance that improves investment outcomes for our members. HESTA is proud to be a signatory of the CFA Institute Inclusion Code. It is an important step in increasing inclusive cultures in the Australian financial industry.”
Sarah Maynard, ASIP, Global Senior Head, Inclusion Code, CFA Institute, commented: “The Inclusion Code offers organisations a foundation for embedding inclusive practices into strategic talent management and decision-making processes. There is growing recognition that inclusion supports sound business governance and strengthens relationships with clients, employees, and investors alike. As organisations continue to align their operations with stakeholder expectations, the Code provides a practical framework for integrating inclusion into strategy and accountability — reinforcing long-term value and resilience.”
The CFA Institute Inclusion Code is available to investment organisations in Australia of any size that seek to shape a more inclusive future for the investment industry. It provides six metrics-based principles and an implementation framework for signatories to voluntarily measure, report, and improve inclusion in their workplaces. Signatories agree to inclusion through recruitment, retention, leadership development, and across their organisational cultures.
The six principles to which signatories voluntarily commit are:
- Pipeline: Expanding the inclusive talent pipeline.
- Talent Acquisition: Designing, implementing, and maintaining inclusive and equitable hiring and onboarding practices.
- Promotion and Retention: Designing, implementing, and maintaining inclusive and equitable promotion and retention practices to reduce barriers to progress.
- Leadership: Using an organisation’s position and voice to promote inclusion and improve inclusive outcomes in the investment industry. Organisations will hold themselves responsible for their firm’s progress.
- Influence: Using an organisations role, position, and voice to promote and increase measurable inclusive results in the investment industry.
- Measurement: Measuring and reporting on progress in driving better diversity, equity, and inclusion results by providing regular reporting on the firm’s related metrics to senior management, the board, and CFA Institute.
Furthermore, the firms have voluntarily committed to meeting the following foundational reporting requirements within two years of signing the Australian Inclusion Code:
- Establishing senior leader ownership and an oversight governance process.
- Publishing formal, written, publicly available communications outlining the organisation’s Inclusion strategy, policy, commitments, and high-level objectives.
- Adopting an implementation plan to integrate inclusion within the signatory organisation’s people, processes, and policies.
