<h1 style="text-align:center;">February's Resource Blog</h1>This month, we've collected a great list of articles to help you in every aspect of your business. From time management, to running meetings and the importance of good management, this month's articles have it all.<ul><li><a href="https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-magic-of-doing-one-thing-at-a-time-767421070">The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time</a>: It's not just the number of hours we're working, but also the fact that we spend too many continuous hours juggling too many things at the same time. Technology as a single principle lies at the heart of all these suggestions. When you're engaged at work, fully engage, for defined periods of time. When you're renewing, truly renew. Make waves. (Harvard Business Review)</li><li><a href="https://getpocket.com/explore/item/my-management-lessons-from-three-failed-startups-google-apple-dropbox-and-twitter-856889483">My Management Lessons from Three Failed Startups, Google, Apple, Dropbox and Twitter</a>: Kim Scott shares management lessons from her leadership roles at some of the biggest and influential tech companies in the world. Most recently, she advised Dropbox and Twitter. (First Round Review)</li><li><a href="https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-condensed-guide-to-running-meetings-973666280">The Condensed Guide to Running Meetings</a>: There is a lot of data out there that shows how much time we're all wasting in meetings. But you don't need research to prove what you intuitively know. Next time you need to bring a group together, do the best you can to make it a good use of everyone's time-including your own. (Harvard Business Review)</li><li><a href="http://www.bain.com/publications/articles/when-the-finance-department-becomes-a-companys-secret-weapon-brief.aspx">When the Finance Department Becomes a Company's Secret Weapon</a>: With the finance department gaining strategic importance, Bain interviewed nearly 100 CFOs about their roles and challenges, and how they spend their time. (Bain &amp; Company).</li></ul>Image Source: The Brooks Group: <a href="https://brooksgroup.com/sales-training-blog/time-management-tips-for-salespeople">7 Must-Have Time Management Tips for Salespeople</a>

screen_shot_2018-02-19_at_12.25.51_pm.png

February's Resource Blog

<h1 style="text-align:center;">CFO100 and the Exec’s Program: Round 2!</h1>Here at RENEW, we know CEOs and CFOs are among the most important positions in an organization. That’s why we designed two unique programs, The <a href="https://renewcapital.com/the-exchange/cfo-100-program target=">CFO100</a> and <a href="https://renewcapital.com/the-exchange/executives-program target=">The Exec’s Program</a>, to support and strengthen these key individuals in Ethiopia’s growing private sectors.Last year in 2017, RENEW had 11 business leaders graduate from the Exec’s Program and 24 CFOs out of CFO100. After reviewing feedback, we are finished the preparation to run these courses again in 2018. On&nbsp;Tuesday, February 6, 2018, RENEW will launch the second round of training for both programs.The Exec’s Program helps form the habits of market leaders.&nbsp;The program focuses on the battle rhythms of effective businesses including strategic and annual planning, key financial management tools, corporate governance, company reports, management teams, reporting and finance for execs, marketing mastery, sales and customer service. In addition to the in-person classes, a number of one-on-one coaching sessions take place with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-davis-a948772/">Matthew Davis</a> and the CEOs. These sessions end up being extremely helpful and more focused on the specifics of the business the CEO is leading.<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/img_20171115_162428291_1_344a2d946b.jpg"></figure>In terms of CFO100, we focus on practical skills to help finance professionals become the strategic advisors (CFOs) needed in market leading companies. Costing, building and using a budget, excel for CFOs, financial analysis and presentations of financials, and running a finance department are some of the major topics of CF0100.&nbsp;In less than a week the first class of 2018 will be held - and we couldn’t be more excited to see what this group of CFOs and CEOs will bring to the table! &nbsp;

The second round of training begins February 6, 2018.

img_20171115_162428291.jpg

CFO100 and the Exec’s Program: Round 2!

<h1 style="text-align:center;">RENEW’s 2018 Winter Investor Trip</h1>In January, RENEW partners Matt &amp; Laura Davis were in the U.S. for some visits with Impact Angel Network members and others interested in RENEW’s work in Ethiopia. The trip included visits to Texas, Atlanta, and New York City. They had a great trip speaking with investors, connectors, entrepreneurs and advocates about investing in Africa! &nbsp;Here are some of the trip highlights:<ul><li>First, we were hosted by the Allen’s in Texas! Longtime members of the IAN…</li><li>After that, it was off to Dallas, Texas where we co-hosted two events. The first, was an evening networking event with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-glanville-29588137/">Dan Glanville</a> and the second was an intimate lunch event with IAN member, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-roby-60a16910/">Frank Roby</a>. Thank you for all the time you put in to pull these events together – we couldn’t have done it without you!</li><li>In Atlanta, we had a packed scheduled – meeting with IAN members, businesses, and individuals interested in investing in Africa. We closed off our Atlanta dates with an event co-hosted with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bscottsadler/">Scott Sadler</a> from <a href="http://www.boardwalkcm.com/">Boardwalk Capital Management</a>. We had a great turn out and it’s clear the interest in a different discourse about Africa as a place of opportunity rather than problems is starting to take hold in the U.S.</li><li>Our last stop for this trip was New York City! One highlight was a lunch session hosted at <a href="http://www.columbiaimpactinvesting.org/">Columbia University’s CI3</a> (Columbia Impact Investing Initiative) where we spoke about impacting investing in East Arica: turning small and medium enterprises into market leaders. With over 50 people in attendance, we had the opportunity to answer some great questions, and see what is currently happening on campus.</li></ul>Thank you to everyone who helped make this winter trip a huge success! The partners are also starting to plan their spring trips for the U.S. and Canada! Are you located in Delaware, Washington D.C., Charlottesville, New York City, Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal and want to meet with RENEW? <a href="mailto:eoconnor@renewcapital.com">Contact us today</a> for more information.<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/winterinvestortrip_a472479246.jpg"></figure>

Highlights from Texas, Atlanta and New York City.

winterinvestortrip.jpg

RENEW’s 2018 Winter Investor Trip

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Gender Equality and Women in the Workforce Mini-Series: Blog 3</h1>In the first blog of this mini-series, we clearly defined the relevant definitions related to gender; gender equality, gender equity, women empowerment. We also looked at the numbers around how women are under-represented globally in mid-level and senior positions in the workforce. We found that companies who prioritize equal representation in management level positions actually outperform those who do not. In the second blog, Laura Davis shared her own experience and advice being a woman in a male-dominated space, and reiterated the importance of allowing women to use their natural and unique gifts to grow companies and be involved in the strategic decision-making process.To fully appreciate the emphasis being put on gender equality worldwide, and the importance that this represents in alleviating poverty, we can take a step back, and look at the top priorities from major development agencies and organizations worldwide:<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:99.45%;"><img src="/uploads/canada_usaid_sdg_b9686467be.png"></figure><ul><li>When the UN released its updated set of <a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300">Sustainable Development Goals</a> in September 2015 (the ‘SDGs’), it listed gender equality as number 5 on its list of 17, ahead of clean water and sanitation, decent work and economic growth, and reduced inequalities between countries, to name a few. The resounding sentiment is that until women and men receive equal access to resources and opportunities, working towards the other goals on the SDG list will remain futile. (<a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300">source</a>)</li></ul>Key quote: Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls will require more vigorous efforts, including legal frameworks, to counter deeply rooted gender-based discrimination that often results from patriarchal attitudes and related social norms.<ul><li><a href="http://www.international.gc.ca/international/index.aspx?lang=eng">Global Affairs Canada</a> released its own list of action areas for international development within its ‘Feminist International Assistance’ policy with, you guessed it, ‘gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls’ sitting atop a list which also includes human dignity, industry growth and renewable energy, environment and climate action, inclusive governance, and peace and security. (<a href="http://international.gc.ca/world-monde/issues_development-enjeux_developpement/priorities-priorites/policy-politique.aspx?lang=eng">source</a>)</li></ul>Key Quote: Empowerment is about people&nbsp;—&nbsp;both women and men&nbsp;—&nbsp;taking control over their lives: setting their own agendas, gaining skills, building self-confidence, solving problems, and developing self-reliance. It is not only a collective, social and political process, but an individual one as well&nbsp;—&nbsp;and it is not only a process but an outcome too.<ul><li><a href="https://www.usaid.gov/">USAID</a> lists 11 priority sectors in its fight “to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential”, with ‘gender equality and women’s empowerment’ making the list along with education, health, food security, and economic growth. (<a href="https://www.usaid.gov/what-we-do">source</a>)</li></ul>Key Quote: Progress cannot be made if half a country’s talents are never developed or utilized. For societies to thrive, women and girls must have access to education, healthcare and technology. They must have control of resources, land and markets. And they must have equal rights and equal opportunities. Closing these gaps can unlock human potential on a transformational scale.<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/8f5a4796_fotor_efd6457d22.jpg"></figure>The theme with all of these agencies’ official statements is simple and consistent; gender equality is so interwoven into all issues related to poverty alleviation that focusing on gender equality is as, or more critical, than providing some of human’s most basic physiological needs, including access to clean drinking water, ending wars, creating jobs for the unemployed and having access to an income, and all other measures you think of when it comes to reducing poverty.At RENEW, we can appreciate this mindset, as sustainability of social impact outcomes is our main driving force. We believe in fostering social impact in emerging markets in Africa by creating sustainable economic growth through investment in the private sector. We are uninterested in short term initiatives which have all the right intentions, but inevitably fizzle out soon after the project wraps up. Instead, we believe in aligning incentives that result in long term job creation: private capital grows businesses, spurs employment, creates market leaders and remains impactful long after the exit of the investment. In the same way, creating a world that inherently provides equal opportunity for men and women, a societal foundation that is equitable and sustainable, allows for critical progress towards poverty alleviation to be realized.This is not to say that any of this is easy, and working towards equality does not bear fruit overnight. We also recognize that through our work in Africa, we must continue to make a concerted effort to go beyond traditional venues and communication channels to make women aware of and benefit from our training programs, and create a system and culture which provides women entrepreneurs with an equal opportunity to pitch their companies to our leadership team and investor network. We will keep moving forward with this agenda, and we will be a small part of the engine driving towards equality, equity and empowerment.<hr>&nbsp;

Government resources and information surrounding gender equality.

Gender Equality

canada_usaid_sdg.png

Gender Equality and Women in the Workforce Mini-Series: Blog 3

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Resources for Success</h1>Have you ever wondered what they keys to success are? We’re always on the lookout for articles to help us define this. Below are four articles that we think will help you become more successful:<ul><li>If success is a catalyst for failure because it leads to the “undisciplined pursuit of more,” then one simple antidote is the <a href="https://hbr.org/2012/08/the-disciplined-pursuit-of-less">disciplined pursuit of less</a>. (Harvard Business Review)</li><li>The ability to communicate a message, sell an idea, or paint a vision is a critical skill for an entrepreneur who wants to have an impact on the world. And even in the age of emojis, animated GIFs, and Snapchat filters,&nbsp;<a href="https://betterhumans.coach.me/how-to-dramatically-improve-your-public-speaking-skills-cd26b7d08a96">public speaking is still the most effective way&nbsp;to move, persuade, and inspire</a>. (Better Humans)</li><li>Charlie Munger&nbsp;(Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway) thinks that the correct path for everybody else is to specialize and get very good at something that society rewards, and then to get very efficient at doing it. But even if you do that, I think you should spend&nbsp;10 to 20% of <a href="https://www.fs.blog/2017/11/generalized-specialist/">your time</a>&nbsp;trying to know all the big ideas in all the other disciplines. (Farnam Street)</li><li>When you google how to be successful, you often come up with a list that is paradoxical. That’s because most wildly successful people are complex – so complex that many of their defining qualities contradict each other. Rather than an "either/or" set of static characteristics, they're more likely to demonstrate both. This is a key to their success. This article displays several <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/8-paradoxical-habits-of-the-most-successful-people-2018-1">paradoxical characteristics of most successful people</a>. (Business Insider)</li></ul><figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/success_0_403910289c.jpg"></figure>Image Source: Entrepreneur: <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249536">A 3-Step Formula to Success -- Really</a>

4 articles to help you become more successful

success_0.jpg

Resources for Success

<h1 style="text-align:center;">January Resource Blog: Annual Planning Articles and Tools</h1>It’s that time of year again where we finish planning for the year ahead. Here are a few resources to help you:<ul><li>Strategic planning is typically an annual process focused on individual business units, however the way executives actually make important strategic decisions, is often quite different. Companies can fix the process if they attack its root problems. A small number of forward-looking companies have thrown out the normal planning processes and replaced them with continuous, issues-focused decision making. <a href="https://hbr.org/2006/01/stop-making-plans-start-making-decisions">Read about how some companies moved from strategic planning to strategic decisions</a>. (From Harvard Business Review)</li><li>Annual planning is an important part of a company’s goals and strategy generation. These goals are the organizations compass to execute the year. Annual plans are a living document that need to be constantly updated. Don’t know where to start? <a href="https://www.business2community.com/b2b-marketing/importance-annual-plan-01701855">Use this article</a> to help identify the main framework for your company’s plan. (From B to C)</li><li>Interested to read RENEW’s recommended annual management planning process? Here’s a tool you can use to go through the process. Annual planning can feel like an overwhelming task, and it’s easy to get caught up in “firefighting” tasks rather than carving out precious time to plan do the hard, but impactful work of planning. Start somewhere! Here’s to a successful 2018! (From RENEW)</li></ul><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:96.72%;"><img src="/uploads/screen_shot_2018_01_03_at_12_31_18_pm_0_b15c88beaf.png"></figure>Applications are now being accepted for the second offering of the <a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/companies">CFO 100 Program </a>which starts in February 2018. Visit the <a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/companies">CFO 100 Program</a> page on our website to learn more.Image Source: Business2Community: <a href="https://www.business2community.com/b2b-marketing/importance-annual-plan-01701855">The Importance of the Annual Plan</a>&nbsp;

screen_shot_2018-01-03_at_12.31.18_pm_0.png

January Resource Blog: Annual Planning Articles and Tools

<h1 style="text-align:center;">2017 is Over? Enjoy Some of Our Favorite Photos</h1>As we stand on the brink of a new year, it’s one of our habits at RENEW to look back at the milestones we passed over the last 12 months. So with a nod towards the challenges inherent in our work and a grateful acknowledgment to our team for their dedication to being trailblazers, here are some of the highlight for RENEW in 2017.<ul><li>January –&nbsp;We started the year with our annual partners planning&nbsp;session&nbsp;in Colorado. It was a snowy and productive time in the mountains.</li><li>February –&nbsp;We had&nbsp;a great Econ-Tourism Trip in Ethiopia. We also traveled to Gheralta to experience Ethiopia's ancient&nbsp;ruins, and conducted a private equity seminar in Mekele. If you haven’t been to Gheralta, put it on your list!</li><li>March –&nbsp;We met with investors in&nbsp;New York City, Toronto, and&nbsp;Vancouver to share about impact investing and helping SMEs access finance in Ethiopia through The Exchange.&nbsp;The Ethiopia team also conducted a private equity seminar in Dire Dawa.</li><li>April –&nbsp;We traveled&nbsp;to Seattle, SFO, Denver&nbsp;and&nbsp;Delaware for more meetings with investors. Phew, we spend a lot of time on planes. Several members of RENEW’s international team got their feet wet with on the ground work in Ethiopia.</li><li>May –&nbsp;We started two training programs that were a long time in the making. We rolled out our first cohorts for the CFO100 and The Exec’s Program. Each ran for three months. Additionally, throughout the year, we trained around 250 companies on private equity in Addis and other cities. A new cohort for CFO100 starts in January 2018, so let us know if you are interested.</li><li>June –&nbsp;We did a lot of training and portfolio management work.</li><li>July –&nbsp;RENEW’s Impact Angel Network crossed the 100-member mark!</li><li>August –&nbsp;We finished the CFO100 and The Exec's Program.</li><li>September –&nbsp;We hosted another great group for an Econ-Tourism Trip.</li><li>October&nbsp;–&nbsp;Was our third National Gathering! This year it was held at the Embassy of Canada in DC with special guest Marcus Samuellson.</li><li>November –&nbsp;RENEW and the IAN became the most active private equity investor in&nbsp;Ethiopia,&nbsp;when we closed our 9th investment in our 8th company: Roadrunner Technologies, a partner to Deliver Addis. Go Feleg! The Ethiopia team also conducted a private equity seminar in Dire Dawa.</li><li>December –&nbsp;We finished the year the way we started it, with a snowy planning session in Colorado and gearing up for a big 2018. We also celebrated with some distributions from companies and a lot of annual planning work across our portfolio.</li></ul>Overall, we saw growth in our portfolio, and our companies supported more than 2,000 jobs. Throughout the year, we enjoyed connecting with members of the Impact Angel Network in Ethiopia and around the world.&nbsp;We are grateful to our partners in Ethiopia and the Government of Canada who make&nbsp;our work in Ethiopia possible, and to the inspirational entrepreneurs leading our companies. &nbsp;We raise a toast to our investors, our partners, our entrepreneurs, our team…and to our vision where people see Africa as a land of opportunities (not problems). Here's to a big 2018.Matthew Davis, Tom Scriven, Laura Davis, Tristan Pelham-Webb, Justin Reesor, Erin O’Connor, Neteesh Dohare, Prasoon Raghuwanshi, Sandy Hung, Lulit Negash, Teshager Demissie, Renata Makhoul , Yoseph Getachew, Tsegamlak Solomon<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/dsc_0685_animation_2_8f8ef58d76.gif"></figure>

team.png

2017 is Over? Enjoy Some of Our Favorite Photos

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Gender Equality and Women in the Workforce Mini-Series: Blog 2</h1>Blogging is not my favorite thing in the world, much less talking about topics to which I feel like I have not dedicated enough time to fully develop a compelling position. So with that as a caveat, I will own it. I do have something to say about my own journey as a female entrepreneur in the male dominated space of private equity. I sit at the intersection of a lot of spaces: private equity, economic development, impact investing, angel investing, Africa, and entrepreneurship. I’ve seen efforts that align with my sense of true north related to female economic empowerment and equality and also efforts I find infuriating, such as well-meaning but poorly branded development efforts that lump female and youth entrepreneurs together, for example. What the hell? As if I, a female, can’t have a world changing, scalable idea. Offense aside, let’s focus on the opportunity side of being a female entrepreneur and maximizing our unique strengths in the private equity space.United States to Afghanistan to Ethiopia – I’ve learned so much about the role of women and economic empowerment within the context of these very diverse cultural situations. In the United States, we have a tendency to see the genders as equal and the same. In Afghanistan, it was, unfortunately, clear that the struggle is often a belief that the genders are different and unequal. Some females there encouraged me to flaunt my Western freedoms. But I had a job to do, so I decided to do my best to adopt the cultural norms. Here in Ethiopia, at least among the educated, it feels like the prevailing thought is more aligned with my own belief about gender: We are different and equal. That being said, I am not naïve enough to think that this would be my reality if I was a rural female farmer in Ethiopia. No matter the prevailing cultural norms, my advice is to respect the cultural context and choose your battles wisely.<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/dsc_0157_chada_2_b6ba1d7979.jpg"></figure>“You don’t know what she’s going through.” – Once, as I was lamenting a female entrepreneur falling off our radar (discontinuing responding to emails and calls), someone here in Ethiopia warned that I had “no idea the circumstances that might be on the entrepreneur’s shoulders”, and that I should give her another chance. I think she was right. Here in Ethiopia, and frankly in most parts of the world, certain family obligations fall more completely on the shoulders of wives and daughters, and it is our duty to keep these cultural nuances in mind as we conduct business internationally. I still think about this encounter, and hope this plucky, gutsy young female entrepreneur comes back on my radar. I think she may have what it takes to be a world changer.Focus on the advantages – It’s so easy as humans, no matter our gender, to dwell on our disadvantages. My own experience as a female entrepreneur has proven we provide certain advantages that men in this industry generally struggle with. For example, entrepreneurs initially tend to be more comfortable sharing about their businesses with me than some of my male counterparts. Another is that my “female intuition” is usually spot on when it comes to assessing a person, or situation, or investment opportunity. Us women just have that sixth sense, if you know what I mean. However, some days I can still get discouraged in the unique challenges I face as a woman, but when I can stop myself and persist through the challenges, the outcomes our powerful and rewarding. I plan to continue leveraging my voice for all it is worth. Regardless of gender, that’s what winners do!<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/img_e9230_6cfe23d931.jpg"></figure>In summary, finding a position and supporting efforts that support gender equality and female economic empowerment are great. But in my opinion, we all walk a fine line in developing efforts that bring dignity and enlarging the issues we are trying to overcome. I am not sure we have it quite right yet, but some of our current efforts at RENEW include:<ul><li>Establishing a quarterly Women in Finance Roundtable in Ethiopia! Read about our first. I was so inspired by our guest, Berhane Demissie.</li><li>We are supporting 1,523 female jobs across our portfolio, which is 73% of the total.</li><li>Our first cohort of CFO100 consisted of 13 females, good for 54% of the group. We are aiming for similar numbers for our second group beginning in 2018.</li><li>We encourage our executives to pursue a diverse leadership team. Currently, 50% of our portfolio companies are partly owned by women.</li></ul>

A female partner’s position: different and equal

dsc_0157_-_chada_2.jpg

Gender Equality and Women in the Workforce Mini-Series: Blog 2

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Gender Equality and Women in the Workforce Mini-Series: Blog 1</h1>Wherever you look these days, there are countless articles, media stories and statements being released about gender equality. Gender equality in the workforce, politics, and even in home life have been at the forefront of a global conversation in recent years and continues to gain momentum. But what exactly does it all mean? How do you, as an individual or an organization, actively support gender equality and women in the workplace? Here at RENEW, we’ve been following these conversations, and are committed to contributing to the growing dialogue about gender equality and women in the workforce.To begin, it’s important to understand what gender equality is. Often, what you read or hear may present the terms gender equity, gender equality, and women empowerment interchangeably. So, to better understand what gender equality really is, let’s take a step back and understand the distinction in these three terms. Gender equity is making a concerted effort to promote fairness between men and women, by acknowledging and implementing measures that allow women and men to operate on an even playing field. Gender equity naturally leads to gender equality, which exists when women and men have equal access to these opportunities and resources. When inequality exists, it is women who are excluded from decision-making and access to resources, silencing them from the critical conversations that take place within organizations every day. The key outcome of gender equality is women empowerment, which follows when organizations focus on identifying and addressing power imbalances and ways to overcome them (UNFPA, 2005).<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/8f5a4683_fotor_8a557da330.jpg"></figure>To achieve gender equality, the conversation needs to shift to a spot where we’re considering why this topic is critical to everyone, and not solely women. A key way to look at this, is how gender equality plays out in the workforce. In a 2015 McKinsey Report, they found that companies and organizations that embrace gender diversity generally have better performance than those that don’t. Those companies are 15% more likely to outperform the companies that rate low for diversity in the workplace (Huhman, 2017). A common misconception about gender equality in the workplace is that women need to be given more advantages. Gender equality means allowing every employee the same access to benefits and rewards. Equality needs to be an everyone issue, not just an issue surrounding women (2017).When it comes to women in the workforce, as of 2017, women made up 39% of the labor force. Broken down by country, in Canada, women make up 47.2%, in the United States, they account for 45.9% and in Ethiopia they account for 46.9% of the work force (The World Bank, 2017). Globally, when we focus specifically on the finance sector as a whole, nearly half of employees in finance are women. However, women in leadership roles within this sector remain low, showing women holding only 25% of senior management roles, 18% holding CFO roles, and 4% holding the title CEO (Catalyst, 2015).As an impact investing firm, RENEW has a vested interest in embracing equality both in our investments, and internally. We run our business the same we hope to see other companies run theirs: with a gender-diverse team with women in key leadership positions. Similarly, in our investments, we always value companies that support women and offer services that allow them to succeed in the workplace and in their private life.Keep an eye out for more blogs in this series in the upcoming months.<hr>Other blogs in this series:<ul><li><a href="gender-equality-and-women-workforce-mini-series.html">Gender Equality and Women in the Workforce: A Partner's Perspective</a></li><li><a href="../2018/gender-equality-and-women-workforce-mini-series-blog-3.html">Gender Equality and Women in the Workforce: Government Resources</a></li><li><a href="../2018/gender-equality-and-women-workforce-mini-series-what-can-i-do.html">Gender Equality and Women in the Workforce: What Can I Do?</a></li></ul><hr>(1) <a href="http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/women-canadian-us-and-global-financial-services">Catalyst, 2015. Women In Canadian, US, And Global Financial Services</a> (2) <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/298563">Huhman, 2017. 3 Reasons Why Gender Equality is an "Everyone" Issue</a> (3) <a href="http://www.unfpa.org/resources/frequently-asked-questions-about-gender-equality">UNFPA, 2005. Frequently Asked Questions About Gender Equality</a> (4) <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS">The World Bank, 2017. Labor force, female (% of total labor force)</a>